|
Bio | Reviews |
Past Performance Venues |
Song List
Video/Audio | Marketing/Technical | Merchandise
Tribute To Frank Sinatra
Absolutely
Sonata!
The Tribute to Frank Sinatra - Absolutely
Sonata!
has performed with the
following
Symphony Orchestras:
- TBA Your Symphony
Orchestra!
- Buffalo Philharmonic
Orchestra (Buffalo, NY, USA)
- Members of the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra (Toronto, ON, Canada)
|
Simply add symphony orchestra with
Rick Sonata to pay a musical tribute to Old Blue Eyes, Frank
Sinatra, in "Absolutely Sonata". Rick Sonata has opened for Tony
Bennet, Phyllis Diller, Michael Burgess and Wayne Newton and has performed with
the Tommy Dorsey Band, the Count Basie Band and the Nelson Riddle Orchestra.
Rick is also a frequent performer in Las Vegas at the Mirage, MGM Grand,
Excalibur and Caesar's Palace. Rick has appeard on the nightclub circuit for
more than 19 years. In 2001, "Legends in Concert" producer John Stuart saw a
video of Rick and promptly flew him to Las Vegas where he was hired as the
Crooner for his production in Atlantic City, Branson Missouri and Myrtle Beach.
Rick's uncanny resemblance to Sinatra, his incredible vocal
range, and high-energy charisma, has led to performances in Canada, United
States, Italy and Australia. Rick has even characterized
by Nancy Sinatra as "a dead ringer for dad", in that he is a a phenomenal
entertainer with uncanny resemblance to Sinatra both physically and vocally.
He has also performed at many corporate and fundraising events such as
NHL Awards, Bombardier, The Keg Steakhouse, Daffodil Ball and the Humber River
Regional Hospital Foundation.
It's not just
in his stage presence, his cocky swagger, the phrasing of his songs or his
resemblance to Frank Sinatra.......Rick has vocal talent, a feel for the music
and the personal magnetism necessary for a headline performer. He makes a sudden turn of the head and you gasp. It's eerie - he
is Frank Sinatra as he was 50 years ago.
From “Luck Be a Lady
Tonight” to “My Way”, the unmistakable sounds of Sinatra will be
on display. This concert event is sure to take the audience back to the good
ol' days of the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
Musically and vocally superb,
this show is sure not to be missed! |
|
 |
TOP ^
Biography
Frank Sinatra, of course, was
known for his blue eyes and while Rick Sonata's are most certainly brown, it is
just the first of many signs this Tribute Artist is trying to capture something
deeper. Even in a crowded coffee shop it's easy to pick him out, with his
uncanny resemblance to the legendary crooner. Sure, Mr Sonata knows he could go
for the schtick - wearing blue contact lenses and speaking in a faux-Jersey
accent -- but when he stepped onto the stage at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto,
backed by 60 members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, he offered something
more authentic!
It all began at a friend's wedding
when the then 26-year old was coaxed onto the stage. He'd grown up surrounded
by music and by the sounds of the crooners in particular, but he'd never tried
anything on stage before. "Back then I knew how to sing, but I was not a singer
yet," he recalled. "The bandleader told me how much I looked like Frank and
sounded like Frank and maybe we can polish you up a bit." Within a few years,
Rick Sonata was doing weddings and other shows, playing with the band on
weekends. It didn't take long before he was ready to step into the spotlight.
In 1992, he made his first venture in the belly of the beast, Las Vegas. "I was
nervous but it was very, very exciting," he says. "It's a big door that opened
up. Now you're known as a Tribute Artist, the looks are there and the sound is
there and the band is there." That door led to a regular schedule of shows from
corporate gigs to theatre performances and Rick Sonata was able to quit his job
as a Construction Site Supervisor.
Rick Sonata is meticulous in his
efforts to recreate Sinatra without aping him. Even his arrangements are done
by professionals, lifted directly from Sinatra's records. "I was not trying to
be Sinatra at all," he says. Instead he was amazed, as he began to study the
Chairman of the Board, how easy it was to match up his own personality and
style with Sinatra's. "The whole package just came on its own; I'm not a
wannabe," he says, stopping to laugh. "I dunno, maybe my mother had an affair
in '56 in Vegas."
In Las Vegas and Reno, Rick Sonata
was able to work with genuine showbiz legends such as Tony Bennett, Wayne
Newton and Phyllis Diller. Overall his experience has been positive and he was
treated as one of them. "When I'm on stage, I try not to be Frank, but we have
a lot of things in common. I don't want to be known as an impersonator or a
look-alike," he says. "When I'm dressed with the hat and the suit on, it's like
Frank is out there in 1968. Learn the songs, learn the repertoire, learn some
moves, mannerisms and then it all comes naturally."
In 2006, in addition to numerous
successful corporate shows, he was the headline entertainer at high-profile and
prestigious gala fundraisers that included the Paediatric Oncology Group of
Ontario (POGO), and Computers for Children. Also in the same year, he thrilled
and delighted audiences with a series of concert performances backed by the
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. On May 4, 2007 Rick Sonata was the
featured guest artist at Toronto's illustrious Roy Thomson Hall and performed
with select members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. A portion of the
funds generated by this prestigious event were donated to help benefit the
Sick-Kids Foundation of Toronto.
When he's home, and not being
Frank, he cooks, golf's and spends as much time as possible with his family.
Rick Sonata is on the road almost every weekend, performing about 150 gigs a
year. He has played everywhere from the dives on up but his eyes light up
discussing the experience of being backed by a large, skilled orchestra. Mr
Sonata has done a Toronto Symphony Orchestra style show in Buffalo, NY and
has gigs lined up with some of the continent's best orchestras. "This is
another level of the career. From the weddings to the Corporate to the
Showrooms to the big bands and theatres...," he looks up and tries to find the
words to demonstrate the excitement of being backed by such a musical ensemble.
"It's beautiful...it's a thrill. I'm more of a showman, I'm more of an
entertainer." Rick Sonata says. And, it goes without saying, he's doing it his
way.
It's not just his stage
presence, his cocky swagger, the phrasing of his songs or his resemblance to
Sinatra...Rick has vocal talent, a feel for the music and the personal
magnetism necessary for a headline performer. He makes a sudden turn of the
head and you gasp. It's eerie - Rick is Frank Sinatra as he was 50 years ago.
This is the often repeated comment you hear about this singer, Rick Sonata, who
has the same talent that so many of the great singers have.
Sinatra was
a large influence in the Sonata household. Rick, born to Italian parents from
Le Marche, grew up listening to Sinatra. Rick sang Sinatra tunes for his own
pleasure and he began buying Sinatra tracks which enabled him to learn
Sinatra's repertoire. As he began performing publicly, the audience was
mesmerized as to how much he looked and sounded like Frank Sinatra.
And
now Rick Sonata has an active show business career and rightfully deserves his
reputation as a "phenomenal entertainer". It's not just his stage presence, his
cocky swagger, the phrasing of his songs or his resemblance to Frank Sinatra...
Rick has vocal talent, a feel for the music and the personal magnetism
necessary for a headline performer.
He has appeared on the night club
circuit for more than ten years, travelling throughout the U.S. with his 16
piece orchestra in such hot spots as the Trump "Taj Mahal" in Atlantic City,
NJ, the House Of Blues in New Orleans, LA and Circa 21 Dinner Theatre in Rock
Island, IL, bringing the big band swing back to the day of the "Sands".
"Frank" Live! Rick has also performed for such luminaries as Phyllis Diller,
Michael Burgess and performed at a pre-party show for Tony Bennett, Wayne
Newton in Reno.
Rick has worked with some of the finest arrangers,
including Stan Mark (Conductor/Lead Trumpet who performed with Maynard
Ferguson), Eddie Graf (Arranger/Composer who worked with Victor Borge, Dinah
Shore, Jerry Valle and Frank Sinatra), Peter Turre (Drummer/Director of Ray
Charles) and Bobby Scan (Lead Trombone player for Frank Sinatra), Shelly Berger
Symphony Arranger.
TOP ^
Reviews
Sinatra Tribute
"Just wanted to let you
know how much we enjoyed Absolutely Sinatra. Rick Sonata could pass for Frank
Sinatra in a blink - his voice and stage presence were fabulous. Must-see show.
Musical arrangements sounded just like Sinatra's, if not better."
Julie
Kianof More, Welcome Magazine Inc., Buffalo
"We were blown away by
the Absolutely Sinatra show! Rick Sonata captured the presence and the essence
of Frank Siantra and the orchestra, made up of key players of the Toronto
Symphony Orchestra sounded fabulous as always."
Lillian Thalheimer, Roy
Thomson Hall, Toronto
Buffalo News Review 10/21/06
"Performing
with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in the one-man show, "Absolutely
Sonata," he got the swagger right. And much like the man he sought to
impersonate, Sonata knows how to work a stage with energy and
confidence.
Sonata certainly bears a resemblance to Sinatra. It was
particularly uncanny in the first set as Sonata took to the stage in a tailored
tux and Sinatra's trademark fedora.
Sonata also got the posture and the
arm gestures down pat as he belted out a swinging arrangement of 'The Lady Is a
Tramp', followed by another signature Sinatra tune, 'Summer Wind'."
By
Harold McNeil
News Reviewer
"An engaging presence.
he looks like a young Sinatra, has his arrogance, body language, smooth
delivery and charm down pat."
The Toronto Star
"Headlined by Rick Sonata, who's resemblance to Sinatra is uncanny, performs 20
Sinatra classics in the style and pizzazz you want to hear over and over again
accompanied by his 16 member orchestra."
Great Toronto
Getaway
"Hottest show since Old Blue Eyes
himself hit the stage."
Hot Toronto Magazine
TOP ^
Past Performance
Venues
Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Ed Mirvish
Productions, Toronto
Elgin Winter Garden Theatre, Toronto
Excalibur, Las
Vegas
Ford Centre for Performing Arts, Toronto
Hamilton Place,
Hamilton
House of Blue, New Orleans
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo
MGM
Grand, Las Vegas
Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
New York, New York
Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
Palais Royale Ballroom, Toronto
Roy Thomson
Hall, Toronto
Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino, Reno
St. Lawrence
Theatre, Toronto
Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City
TOP ^
Song
List
All Of Me
All The
Way
Chicago
Come Fly With Me
East Of The Sun
Fly Me To The
Moon
Get Me To The Church
Girl That Got Away
I Could Have Danced All
Night
I Get A Kick Out Of You
I Only Have Eyes
It Was Just One Of
Those Things
I've Got The World On A String
I've Got You Under My
Skin
Lady is a Tramp, The
Let Me Try Again
Luck Be A Lady
My Funny
Valentine
My Way
New York, New York
Nice 'n Easy
Night And
Day
One For My Baby
Pennies From Heaven
Please Be Kind
Saturday
Night
South Of The Border
Strangers In The Night
Summer Wind
That's
Life
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Way You
Look Tonight,
The
Where Or When
Witchcraft
You Make Me Feel So Young
TOP ^
|
