Eyre Peninsula

Interview: Tom Burlinson is Simply Sinatra

Tom Burlinson

Simply Sinatra follows Frank Sinatra’s career from the early days to the anthems of his later life with storytelling and songs.

 

Tom BurlinsonAfter the astronomical success locally and internationally with his cabaret-style Sinatra tribute show Frank – A Life in Song, seasoned crooner Tom Burlinson is back with a new compilation of songs in Simply Sinatra.  This time, Burlinson will be hitting locations throughout South Australia’s regional centres including Noarlunga, the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Riverland and Eyre Peninsula.

Burlinson has always treated the music and experience of Frank Sinatra with respect and realism. He explains that “Sinatra was, in my opinion, if not the greatest, then one of the best interpreters in the great American song book. Sometimes he was experiencing what he was singing about. I don’t impersonate Sinatra and I don’t pretend to be him. I like to emulate his performance style and I try to have an emotional connection with the songs.”

Burlinson’s intimate yet relaxing and highly enjoyable performance style involves story telling through songs and cabaret-style audience interaction. Burlinson says that Simply Sinatra “follows Sinatra’s career from the early days to the anthems in his later life. I talk directly with the audience and focus on the music, the songs and the people who wrote for him as well as his musical arrangers.”

While the title Simply Sinara aptly depicts the show as being about the life and music of  Ol’ Blue Eyes, it also descriptively explains the changes Burlinson has made between his most recent tour to this one. “Frank – A Life in Song was always done with a 16-piece big band and it is hard to travel with that many musicians and make it cost effective. Now it’s a 5-piece band and our musical arrangements have been simplified accordingly. That’s why we have called it Simply Sinatra.”

Delighted by the resurgent popularity of cabaret, swing, big band and music from the American songbook, Burlinson attributes society’s love of such genres to the recent success of other modern crooners, particularly Michael Bublé. For this reason, Burlinson’s performance is sure to resonate with a broad audience. Burlinson reflects that “there’s a timeless quality to a lot of this music, with great melodic lines and wonderful lyrics. I think the music industry is a little more disparate these days too. When the Beatles were hip, it was only them in the market. There are lots of different areas around the industry and I believe swing or jazzy pop has an established popularity these days on its own accord.”

Burlinson is passionate about taking music and art out of the big cities. He reflects that “we brought my show, Now We’re Swinging, through regional South Australia a few years ago and it was really well received. We went to almost all the places we are returning to. We have always had a terrific following in Adelaide, right from the beginning when I first did a Frank show in 1998 and through various visits to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. It is a very big state and to take the shows out to the people is a good thing to do.”

Furthermore, Burlinson will be showcasing some of our state’s finest big band musicians during the tour. He comments, “there is a trumpet player who is my Band Leader, but everyone else in the 5-piece is South Australian. I am looking forward to teaming up with them again as many were in my tour of Now We’re Swinging.”

Tom Burlinson commences his tour of South Australia at the Hopgood Theatre in Noarlunga on 20 March 2014.

Interviewed by Bree Downs-Woolley

 

 

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