Q&A: Hit it, Maestro

Sunday, Feb. 20, 2000 | 10:17 a.m.

Vincent Falcone did it Frank Sinatra's way.

The Las Vegas orchestra leader spent more than 10 years with the man he still politely refers to as Mr. Sinatra.

Currently Falcone and his orchestra perform with Steve Lippia, a singer who sounds amazingly like Sinatra and sings many of Sinatra's songs during engagements that are drawing standing-room-only crowds -- most recently at a six-month stint at the RioBamba club in the Rio hotel-casino.

On Friday Lippia, Falcone and his orchestra begin a three-month engagement in Atlantic City at Atlantic City Resorts.

Falcone, 60, began playing professionally at age 16 at clubs in and around Syracuse, N.Y. He credits his mother, Anne, with inspiring him to become a musician.

Las Vegas has been Falcone's home since 1970.

Question: How did you get your start in the music business?

Answer: Were it not for my mother I wouldn't even know how to play the piano. Her family was very musical, her sister a budding opera singer. My mother was responsible for recognizing the musical ability in me as a child. We were not wealthy but I started studying piano at age 3. She had to make some sacrifices to afford the lessons.

Q: How did you get involved with Frank Sinatra?

A: I played (piano) for Mr. Sinatra during his engagement at Caesars Palace one New Year's Eve. He was impressed with me and started taking me on the road. I was with him from 1976 to 1986, seven years as his orchestra leader, and then I was with him on and off for several years after that.

Q: What was so special about Sinatra?

A: He was an innovator. It's the difference between being just an artist and someone who does something that has never been done before.

Q: Frank Sinatra died May 14, 1998 at the age of 82. Why do you still call him Mr. Sinatra?

A: I speak with reverence. He treated me like a son.

Q: Didn't Sinatra have a reputation for being tough?

A: He was a melange, a mixture. He had a street side and an intellectual side. He was a man of many moods and could be many things to many people. He was not unlike any great artist. If you look around at the premier artists in music -- like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart -- they had their moods and personalities.

Q: You were with him quite a while. Did a lot of musicians come and go during that time?

A: For the most part he found the people he wanted and kept them. But you had to learn quickly how to be with him. His favorite expression was "Where ya workin' next week?" The Nelson Riddles, the Don Costas, the Gordon Jenkins, they were very helpful in helping me assimilate what I needed to learn quickly.

Q: Did you hang around with him on a personal level, or was it strictly a professional relationship?

A: We became personal friends. You never hung around with him if he didn't ask you.

Q: It may be difficult to single out any particular performance that really stands out in your mind, but are there any more memorable than others?

A: There are some that stand out, like the concert at the pyramids in Egypt. Another was in Rio de Janeiro at the stadium where Pele used to play soccer. It had seating for 200,000, and it was full. Another amazing one was the Concert for the Americas in the Dominican Republic. We were on stage with the Buddy Rich Orchestra, among others. It was sensational.

Q: What do you think of "The Rat Pack is Back," a tribute to Sinatra? It played at the Desert Inn and is supposed to open March 25 at the Sahara.

A: Anything that keeps the music alive is fine. I didn't see the show so I can't pass judgment. But I saw the camaraderie of the real Rat Pack. That could never be duplicated by impressionists because what (the Rat Pack) said was spontaneous. I mean no disrespect to the show, I just know you could never re-create that spontaneity they had at the Sands. Those things can't be re-created, which is why we make no effort to re-create Mr. Sinatra in our show. The only thing we are doing is performing the music that is classical American music.

Q: Tell us about the Steve Lippia and the Vincent Falcone Orchestra show. Isn't it receiving rave reviews across the country?

A: First of all I want to emphasize that this is not a "tribute" type of show, it is not an impersonation. I would never work for a Sinatra impersonator. I worked for the man. I'm interested in only one thing, his music and seeing that the great music of the great American song book stays alive and people can continue to hear it live. It just so happens that this young man (Lippia) has an unnatural similarity to Mr. Sinatra. It's the most uncanny resemblance in the world.

Q: How did you find Steve Lippia?

A: I knew Mr. Sinatra had a legitimate concern that the music he espoused and developed would die with him. Through an incredible coincidence I found this guy, who was an answer to a desire I had to keep Mr. Sinatra's music alive. He was playing in a club in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. I heard a tape of him and he sounded like Frank, but it could have been recording tricks. I flew to Florida and caught him live. When I heard him and realized there were no tricks involved, I asked to meet with him. We hit it off and decided we would see what we could do about developing a career.

Q: How would you compare the quality of today's music with music of the past?

A: Young people today are not interested in listening to big bands, they're more interested in low-class music, much lower class. It's much more base in human emotions than what I grew up listening to. We've lost the romance in music. Music today is very violent. It reflects violence in society. There are very few cabaret-type shows that require the type of orchestra every hotel had 25 years ago. But I believe in what I do. After all, I had the greatest teacher I could have.

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