Singer from South Philadelphia discovers and records Frank Sinatra’s “lost” arrangements

PENNSAUKEN, NJ (CBS) — A South Philadelphia singer pays tribute to Frank Sinatra Breathing new life into some big band arrangements, Sinatra performed live with the Count Basie Orchestra in the 1960s.

While digging through the Library of Congress, Brandon Tomasello discovered original scores arranged by the late Billy Byers that Sinatra never recorded. With permission from Byers’ estate, Tomasello is now recording an album titled “Brandon Tomasello: The Lost Sinatra – Basie Arrangements with The City Rhythm Orchestra.” The recording sessions will take place at SoundPlex Studios in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and will be the first time these arrangements have been officially recorded.

Tomasello grew up with his grandparents and said that’s where his love of Sinatra began. He then began diligently studying recordings of jazz greats and continued to hone his musical talents as a student at the Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School.

“From the beginning, I always wanted a band,” Tomasello said. “I knew you needed sheet music, and I had transcriptions written, and it just grew from there.”

This led him one day to search the Internet and find the arrangements that Byers had written for Sinatra and Count Basie, which had not been heard for decades. The arrangements were written in 1965 during Sinatra’s tour with the Basie Orchestra. Many of Byers’ arrangements ended up on the album Sinatra at the Sands, released in 1966.

“(Byers) was writing these (songs) like crazy. And the summer tour was used to test all these charts,” Tomasello said.

However, some songs never made it onto the record. Tomasello wanted to change that and called several times to get permission from Bryant Byers, the son of arranger Billy Byers. Bryant Byers had flown in from Oregon to play trombone on the recording.

“I get asked to do stuff like that a lot and I often say no,” Bryant Byers said. “But I know Brandon has such a passion for the music and the arrangements that are obviously very close to me.”

Tomasello’s grandfather, Frank Fortino, can attest to his grandson’s appreciation for music.

“The amount of study he’s put in, the amount of effort he’s put in, the amount of time and work he’s put in… it’s incredible,” Fortino said. “He’s absorbed all of that and now it’s a part of him.”

Tomasello says this project is an incredible honor for him.

“The least I can do for someone who brought me and my grandparents so much joy is to try to keep his name, the music and these arrangers alive,” he said.