Cantus octet sings Frank Sinatra tunes in five Twin Cities concerts

The year 1955 was a tough one for Frank Sinatra, although it might not have looked that way to the casual observer. By then, the most popular singer of the 1940s had revived a fading career that had been built around the adoration of the war-era bobby-soxers and had launched an acting career that won him an Oscar for “From Here to Eternity.” But he was carrying a weighty sadness over his failing marriage to actor Ava Gardner, a relationship that burned hot and briefly.

So he developed the idea of recording an album full of songs that reflected his mood, addressing heartbreak and loneliness. It became what many regard as Sinatra’s masterpiece, “In the Wee Small Hours.”

While it’s an album rooted in jazz balladry, the Minneapolis-based vocal octet Cantus believes that it fits well with the song cycle tradition of such 19th-century composers as Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann. That’s repertoire the group has explored during its past summer concerts, harmonizing on some songs and taking turns with solo interpretations of others. Now Cantus is going to spend a week doing the same with “In the Wee Small Hours” at four Twin Cities venues.

One of Cantus’ two bass singers, Samuel Bohlander-Green, said the idea originally came from his fellow bass, Chris Foss.

“We had done full albums with our ‘Covers’ shows,” Bohlander-Green said, referring to concerts that featured the group’s arrangements of such albums as the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” and Joni Mitchell’s “Blue.” “And we had done some song cycles for our chamber series. And Chris said: Hey, what about ‘In the Wee Small Hours’?

“It’s Frank Sinatra, whose voice fits in most of our ranges. This could be a really interesting way to strip it down. To have a solo voice with jazz piano and to bring folks into a jazz club-type setting to enjoy our solo voices and our ensemble sound, as well.”

Tenor Jacob Christopher said that the album’s songs feel in tune with one of the group’s recent emphases — vulnerability.

“This was one of the first albums by a male artist to show that you can feel these deep emotions and not lose your masculinity,” he said.

But isn’t it intimidating to interpret songs associated with a man who’s been called the greatest singer of the 20th century?

“Obviously, Frank Sinatra has a very signature sound that is recognizable to many people all over the world,” said baritone Rod Kelly Hines. “I would argue that Cantus also has a very signature style and a way of expressing ourselves through music.”

Christopher agreed.

“I don’t think that we’re trying to mimic him at all, to emulate what his voice sounds like,” he said. “It’s more what his voice makes me feel, that emotion. I want to translate that to the audience.”

“When you think about interpretations of song cycles from the 19th century, we are free to be ourselves while also fitting into an idiom,” tenor Paul John Rudoi said. “That’s I think how we’re coming across, which is really exciting. Because each one of us can sing a love ballad in a very different way, while also having the same or similar emotional context.”

Arizona-based jazz pianist Nicole Pesce will assist Cantus in this endeavor. And if you want something closer to a jazz club experience, Thursday evening’s concert will dress up Westminster Hall with couches, tables, lamps and a bar, an intimate setting ideal for songs of heartbreak and loneliness.

Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Tue., Courtroom 317, Landmark Center, 75 W. 5th St., St. Paul; 7:30 p.m. Wed., Museum of Russian Art, 5500 Stevens Av. S., Mpls.; 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Thu., Westminster Hall, Nicollet Mall and Alice Rainville Place, Mpls.; 7:30 p.m. Fri., American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Av. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $5-$45, available at 612-435-0046 or cantussings.org.

Streaming: Available July 17-27 at cantussings.org.