Musicians join forces to celebrate Sinatra

In honor of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra, The State Theatre will host a tribute to the late musician, with “That’s Life: A Celebration of the 100th Birthday of Frank Sinatra” on Dec. 5.

This tribute concert will include various regional singers, with backup by the Zeropoint Big Band. With 16 musicians, Zeropoint Big Band will work with each singer to put a new spin on Sinatra’s classic works. Concertgoers can expect to hear many of the old Sinatra favorites, which will bring back old memories for some and make new ones for others.

Zeropoint features five saxophone players, eight brass and a three-piece rhythm section. Many of the band’s members are nationally-recognized performers, composers and educators who happen to make their homes in central Pennsylvania. Soloists include Aaronsburg trombonist Jay Vonada, Penn State professor of trombone Mark Lusk, Penn State music professor and saxophonist Dan Yoder and State College musician Rick Hirsch.

Born on Dec. 12, 1915, in Hoboken, N.J., Sinatra is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records worldwide. His songs have been the soundtrack for generations of fans for over 70 years.

Because Sinatra made so many legendary recordings and scored numerous hits, it was a challenge for the band to narrow it down to only one concert’s worth of music. But for the tribute, Hirsch believes they chose to present a collection of some of Sinatra’s most beloved favorites, which include “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “The Best Is Yet to Come,” “Mack the Knife,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and of course, “That’s Life,” the title theme of the show.

Four State College-based vocalists will sing the Sinatra tunes: Tommy Wareham, Elizabeth Webb, Tyne Palazzi and Natascha Hoffmeyer.

“Elizabeth has been in town for the last couple of years and she is just a real hidden treasure,” Hirsch said. “She and Tommy both know the Sinatra songbook inside and out.”

Hoffmeyer is perhaps most well known as a blues singer from Natascha and the Spy Boys, and Palazzi is known for her bluegrass and banjo-picking.

“Tyne is one heck of a singer,” Hirsch said. “Many of the tunes that Sinatra sang came from Broadway musicals, and she has a lot of experience doing musical theater.”

In addition, the concert will feature special guest vocalist Chris DiMattio from Scranton.

“I worked with Chris this past summer on a recording project of Sinatra tunes, and I thought he really captured the essence of Sinatra,” Hirsch said.

Sinatra’s popular songs are from the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s — music written by some of the greatest songwriters and composers of the 20th century: Classic songs by George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, and Lerner and Loewe remain timeless to this day, and their universal appeal is in large part due to Sinatra’s interpretation of them.

“Sinatra was such an honest performer and he wore his emotions on his sleeve,” Hirsch said. “One thing that made him so great as an interpreter of song was that he would really get inside the lyric; and for him each song would tell a story. I think that’s what people love about Sinatra, and why his music is still so strong today.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2015 at 4:34 PM with the headline "Musicians join forces to celebrate Sinatra."