Trombonist for Sinatra dies at 82

Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005 | 9:31 a.m.

Born: 1923.

Education: Bachelor's degree in music from Northwestern University; master's degree from the Chicago Conservatory of Music.

Survivors: Two sons, Timothy Sares and John Sares of Florida; a brother, Ted Sares of North Conway, N.H.; and two sisters, Margaret Flood of Tampa, Fla., and LaRue Boenig of Las Vegas.

Services: Monday in Palm Beach, Fla. No local services.

While performing as Frank Sinatra's lead trombonist on the Las Vegas Strip in the mid-1970s, Art Sares found Ol' Blue Eyes to be difficult and distant.

"He was extremely tough to work with. He never talked to anyone," Sares told the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post in its Feb. 4, 2004, edition. "The only time he ever talked to me was when we were backstage and he said to me, 'You look good.' Not a word about my playing, just 'you look good.' "

But mention the great Tommy Dorsey, and Sares played a much different tune, crediting Dorsey as the musician who influenced much of his storied career.

Arthur Paul Sares, who also backed up hundreds of other performers, such as Burt Bacharach, and played for the Chicago Festival Symphony Orchestra and Big Band leader Glenn Miller, died Monday in Delray Beach, Fla. He was 82.

Although he moved from Las Vegas to Florida several years ago, Sares often returned to Southern Nevada to perform, most notably in a 125-player tribute to Dorsey and for the annual 76-plus-4 trombone concerts. Sares had been scheduled to be a guest soloist at this year's concert on Nov. 6.

Trombone-USA.com called Sares "one of the great lyrical trombone players of the world."

Today Sares' work can be heard in elevators and other serene settings as he cut more than 1,500 Muzak tracks, according to Trombone-USA.com.

After leaving Las Vegas, Sares moved to Florida and became an adjunct professor of music at Palm Beach Community College and Florida International University.

He also was lead trombonist for the Florida Symphonic Pops, Palm Beach Pops and Boca Pops, conductor of the PBCC jazz group and a member of the Jazz Trombones.

Ed Koch can be reached at 259-4090 or at koch@lasvegassun.com.