Feb. 06, 2007 - Issue #590: Is Emo Dead?

ESO and Lippia are going to do it Ol’ Blue Eyes’ way

‘Go to any karaoke club and you will find three pages of Sinatra,” singer Steve Lippia guarantees. “That is probably the most democratic and populist way to see what people are most interested in hearing and singing.”

Lippia has earned himself a strong reputation for singing Sinatra tunes and the crowds keep coming to hear renditions made popular by the legendary Frankie.

The singer will soon be taking the stage at the Winspear for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s The Sound of Sinatra, with friend Victor Vanacore—the conductor, arranger and performer for artists like the Jackson Five, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles—conducting.
Lippia loves to sing Sinatra, but is adamant about his status as a singer of standards, not a Sinatra impersonator.

“It’s more of a nostalgia and less of a recreation,” Lippia explains. “Sometimes people say I should wear a pinkie ring and a fedora ... but it’s not Halloween or The Twilight Zone. I just happen to sing music from a major icon. It’s about singing some of the best music ever, the best way I know how.”

Lippia is also careful to give credit to the composers of Sinatra’s catalogue—though Ol’ Blue Eyes made these songs into hits, he did not write them.

“It’s really not his music,” Lippia states, offering Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald as examples of other singers who did the same standards. “But there was something about the size of Sinatra’s career, and his interpretations were so amazing that when he sang it, he owned it.”

“Even people living in thatched roof homes probably know who Sinatra is,” Lippia continues. “I have borrowed Sinatra’s phrasing, but the voice is mine. I’m not an authority on all things Sinatra; it’s just that I happen to sound like him, and I happen to sing standards.” V

Fri, Feb 9 & Sat, Feb 10 (8 pm)
The Sound of Sinatra
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Steve Lippia, vocalist
Victor Vanacore, conductor
Winspear Centre, $32 - $73

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