Frank Sinatra - L.A. Is My Lady

Frank Sinatra and Quincy Jones, a big band at full roar, and a singer in no mood to slow down: L.A. Is My Lady is late Sinatra swinging with real muscle.

Cut in 1984 with Jones producing for his own Qwest label, the album finds the Chairman in his late sixties and clearly having a ball. Jones spread the charts across a deep bench of arrangers, among them Sammy Nestico, Frank Foster and Torrie Zito, and the band plays with real snap. Phil Ramone engineered, and the sound is bright, punchy and very much of its decade.

The title track opens with a breezy, sunlit swagger, all bright brass and Hollywood wink. 'Mack the Knife' is the party piece, with Sinatra name-checking a parade of jazz greats as he goes and turning the old Kurt Weill tune into a roll call. Elsewhere he leans into the standards with seasoned, unhurried phrasing, letting 'Stormy Weather' smoulder and 'How Do You Keep the Music Playing?' ache in all the right places.

It's a record for anyone who thinks the Sinatra story ends in the 1960s. The voice is weathered but the timing is immaculate and the band swings like it has somewhere to be. Put it on late, pour something amber and let the city lights do the rest.