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ABOVE: Frank Sinatra, JudyGarland Special‘Sinatra was surely the best malesinger of popular music in any era.His voice was a musical instrument(...) And though Frank’s publicpersona was relaxed, no one reallyknew the concentrated effort heput in to achieve that image’left: Big Jay McNeely, OlympicAuditorium, Los Angeles, 1951‘As I walked in, the concert hadalready begun, and the hall wasrocking on its foundations. (...) BigJay stood in the middle of whatnormally would be the fight ring,playing his heart out, and thecrowd was exploding around him.I stopped in my tracks when I sawthis bass player, as he seemed tobe floating somewhere out inspace. Emotionless in the eye ofthe hurricane that swirled aroundhim. What a night’OPPOSITE: Gerry Mulligan,recording session, Los Angeles, 1953‘Mulligan’s resonating baritone saxrumbled like rude words said inItalian, something a little like hisown temperament’38 36volume thirteenSummit