Jazz Articles about Frank Portolese

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Frank Lamphere: Frank Songs, My Way: Frank Lamphere Sings Sinatra

by David Bondelevitch
March 10, 2026

"Now that's original... How'd he ever come up with that one?" These words open the press material for Frank Songs, My Way: Frank Lamphere Sings Sinatra, and it is a solid question, with so many albums of Frank Sinatra covers. It would be tough to top Tony Bennett's Perfectly Frank (Columbia Records, 1992).       Performers who cover other performers tend to make two mistakes. First, they often pick the obvious songs, which have probably been covered many times, ...

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Frank Portolese: Plectrum Jazz Guitar Solos

by C. Michael Bailey
January 15, 2011

Solo jazz guitar is a harsh and unforgiving lover. The piano provides a more complete performance experience as a solo instrument for technical reasons, though this same completeness can be achieved on guitar by a precious few, talented enough to achieve such artistic parity. Add to this the stipulation that a plectrum (guitar pick) be used in preference to finge-picking, and the number of masters diminishes even further. The touchstone of this brand of playing is, of course, Joe Pass, ...

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Frank Lamphere: Ain't Love a Kick: The Unforgettable Songs of Sammy Cahn

by Dave Nathan
October 21, 2002

One of the most prolific and successful lyric writers in the history of American popular song was Sammy Cahn. His career, like Gaul, can be divided into two parts. The first was that eminently thriving collaboration with Jule Styne which produced one hit after another including "Time After Time", "The Things We Did Last Summer" and "I've Heard That Song Before". The second major partnership by the New York lyricist was with the inestimable Jimmy Van Heusen. This merger was ...

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Frank Portolese: Last Call

by Jim Santella
March 1, 2001

This is a guitar lover’s album. Frank Portolese plays standards as they’ve been done before and he also turns it loose with a free spirit and a loose structure. Alternating groups, the guitarist works standards with piano trio for six tracks, stretches out with Brian Sandstrom and Rusty Jones for four, and paints the title track as a soulful, cryin’ in your beer, unaccompanied blues wail.

Portolese’s guitar tone is different. Neil Tesser points out in the album’s liner notes ...