'Frank Sinatra: Best Of Vegas'

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In the span of a few years, Las Vegas refueled Frank Sinatra's career and Sinatra in turn became the lead figure in the city's ascendance. It was a synergistic relationship that has since become legendary in the annals of 20th century entertainment. Some of the finest moments in that legendary symbiosis are captured in Frank Sinatra: Best of Vegas, a series of live recordings set for release on Concord Records on February 15, 2011. The 14-song set, under license from Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE), captures Sinatra in concert at the Sands, Caesars Palace and the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas between 1961 and 1987. The collection is a distillation of highlights from Sinatra: Vegas, the five-disc boxed set (4 CD/1 DVD) of live recordings released by Reprise Records in 2006.

"From his debut at the Desert Inn in September 1951, no entertainer was ever more synonymous with the city of Las Vegas than Frank Sinatra, " says Charles Pignone, author of The Sinatra Treasures, in his comprehensive liner notes to the Best of Vegas CD. "It has been said that next to legalized gambling, nothing has been more beneficial and profitable to Las Vegas than Frank Sinatra."

All the Sinatra classics are here, performed live before adoring crowds at some of the most prestigious venues in the history of Vegas. "The Lady Is a Tramp" (The Sands, 1961); "I've Got You Under My Skin" (The Sands, 1966); "All or Nothing at All" (Caesars Palace, 1982); "Pennies From Heaven" (The Golden Nugget, 1987); and of course, the "Theme From New York, New York" (Caesars Palace, 1982) are just some of the gems in the Best of Vegas collection.

"If you were in Las Vegas at the same time as Sinatra, there was nothing else that could compare, " says Pignone. "Even when the entertainment in town was changing from headliners to magic and production shows, Sinatra was still the 'main event.'"

Or in the words of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman, Sinatra was "the destination's most enduring icon, an inimitable original who was influential in shaping Las Vegas' image and entertainment scene."

Sinatra returned to Vegas in December with the opening of Sinatra Dance With Me, at the Wynn Las Vegas. Conceived, choreographed and directed by Twyla Tharp, Sinatra Dance With Me features original recorded masters of Frank Sinatra with a big band and 14 of the world's finest dancers.

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