Steve Lippia in "Simply Sinatra." The Vegas singer teamed up with Orchestra Iowa on Saturday night, wowing the crowd at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. (Steve Lippia photo)

By Diana Nollen/ SourceMedia Group

CEDAR RAPIDS  – Ah that voice, stilled in 1998, lives on through the golden pipes and stylings of Steve Lippia.

Lippia, 55, of Las Vegas baby, insists he isn’t a Frank Sinatra impersonator or tribute artist. When he grabs a mike, opens his mouth and snaps his fingers, however, Ol’ Blue Eyes jumps right out and into the spotlight.

Those unmistakable sounds that made several generations of women swoon swirled in the air Saturday night (11/19/11) during the Orchestra Iowa Pops concert, “Simply Sinatra.” More than 750 people whistled, cheered and rose to two standing ovations in Sinclair Auditorium at Coe College. The show repeats there Sunday (11/20/11) at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $40 at the door.

Strings, harp and woodwinds wrapped around five saxes, horns, a drum kit, bass and local piano wizard Steve Shanley to create a big band of epic proportions and sounds under the laid-back, yet precise, guidance of Maestro Tim Hankewich. The predominantly Nelson Riddle arrangements flew to the moon time and time again with lush fullness and blistering brass.

At the center of it all was Lippia, in his element and oh so comfortable in his own skin, not just trying to wear Sinatra’s. His vocal phrasing and styling is very faithful to Sinatra’s, which is mostly a very good thing.

Sinatra’s technique sold millions of records, but was not flawless.

I had the extreme pleasure of seeing him in concert in Moline in the mid-’90s, yet I’d forgotten that his habit of clamping down on consonants at the end of phrases can get really grating song after song. I know it’s his signature style, but I could hear all of my vocal coaches and conductors cringing.

Lippia also circled some of his pitches without really zeroing in on them, most notably on the opening strains of the lovely ballad “I Have Dreamed,” from “The King and I,” and “Witchcraft.” But on other tunes, when it counted most, he’d turn around and nail the highest, most soaring passages, bringing them home with plenty of wow power.

The annoyances definitely took a backseat to the overwhelming feeling that we were experiencing something special, from the opening strains of “I’ve Got the World on a String” to the final windup of “New York, New York.”

In between were truly glorious moments. My program is scribbled with notes of “my fav,” “lush strings,” “highlight,” “swingy.” To be more specific: ”It Was a Very Good Year” was a very good choice, showcasing the orchestra, which entered with a flourish, then pulled back to let Lippia give a heartfelt interpretation of this melancholy mirror from Sinatra’s later years.

The horns and saxes were stellar throughout, but especially sizzled on “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Saturday Night” and my personal favorite, “Fly Me to the Moon,” written by Burlington native Bart Howard (who studied with my piano teacher). Lippia and ensemble cranked up an old-fashioned Vegas style to send this one soaring with big and brassy sax and a kicky flute flourish.

Floating all through the concert was Lippia’s easy style and anecdotes about his own life and Sinatra’s, making the event feel so very personal. We all left with Sinatra under our skin, and also with Lippia.