Axel Stordahl

Norwegian-American orchestra conductor, leader, musician and arranger. Best known for his work with Frank Sinatra.

Born August 8, 1913, Staten Island, New York Died August 30, 1963, Encino, California (age of 50). Married to singer [a299960].

He learned to play the trumpet in public school. He played trumpet for many name bands in New York in the 1920s and '30s.

He played trumpet for Tommy Dorsey and soon began arranging for the group. In January 1942, when Sinatra convinced Dorsey to let him record four songs without Dorsey for Columbia Records. As they were successful, Stordahl then joined Sinatra when he left Dorsey to go solo. Sinatra cut around three hundred sides for Columbia Records, of which three quarters were arranged by Stordahl.

With his sophisticated orchestrations, Stordahl is credited with helping to bring pop arranging into the modern age. He was one of the first American arrangers to tailor his accompaniments to the vocal qualities of a specific singer. Besides Sinatra, Stordahl worked with other singers such as Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Eddie Fisher, Dinah Shore, Nat 'King' Cole and Dean Martin, among many others.