Blasting News’ Patrick Hickey Jr. sits down with singer Andrew Heller, who discusses his album, “Sinatra: My Way.” Breaking down how his interpretations of Sinatra’s work are different as well as his goals for the album, Heller gives us an inside look at his creative process.
Blasting News: Why is music important to you?
Andrew Heller: Music represents one of the greatest symbols of human intelligence with the interplay of harmony, melody, and rhythm and while I love inventing and operating in the entrepreneurial world with people of like minds, singing has always been my passion and my way of expressing my soul.
Blasting News: You've had a successful career outside of music- why come back to it?
Heller: While singing is my passion (music chooses you, you don't choose music) I also have enjoyed my life as a scientist, engineer, executive and investor. I have more flexibility now after many business successes so I do not have to worry about placing food on the table for my family and can explore the different opportunities to express my passions. Also, I love being able to positively affect other people using my skills to bring pleasure into their lives.
Blasting News: Why does Sinatra still matter?
Heller: Sinatra had many things that make his music, his style and his arrangements timeless. he big band sound is unfortunately too expensive to produce, but the sound is so fantastic that it is worth preserving.
The great arrangements done by Nelson Riddle, Billy Mae and others shows the pinnacle of achievement in that field. Also the Sinatra style, his way of delivering the song, his words (often not the lyricists), his sense of timing all come together to create the most memorable popular rhythm and jazz ever created.
Blasting News: What are your goals for this project?
Heller: My wife and I wanted to re-create the special sound of the Nelson Riddle and Tommy Dorsey big band music utilizing the modern recording techniques that help truly record and preserve the live big band sound and the great arrangements that are missing from today's music scene. We want to give our children and future generations a chance to hear the great sounds that were part of mainstream music in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.
Blasting News: How do you want people to be affected by your work?
Heller: I want my music and songs to lift people's spirits and make their day better than it would have been without my music. I want to bring them to toe-tapping, dancing, smiling and generally feel good.
Blasting News: What song of Sinatra's resonates with you the most? Why?
Heller: That is a very difficult question. Sinatra recorded over 1800 songs, many of them several different ways. My favorites change day to day and hour to hour based upon my mood and the things around me that effect my feelings. Certainly My Way, Very Good Year, My kind of Town, and Summer Wind are among my favorites.
Blasting News: What's next?
Heller: I just finished a mini tour with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra singing many of my Sinatra favorites intermixed with some of the great Dorsey tunes.
Looking at other possibilities to sing with the Nelson Riddle orchestra and possibly another mini tour with the Dorsey Orchestra. I will be starting on another Sinatra collection featuring many of the songs in my show that was not in the first collection. This will be a multi-month effort that my wife and I started working on several months ago.
