FRANK Sinatra's lesser-known work will be explored at Bridport Arts Centre tomorrow (25).

Singer Sam Merrick will join pianist Philip Clouts at the Jazz Cafe as the duo delve into the legend's career, in what is his century year.

Sam, a Dorset native, has appeared on BBC Radio 2 and has toured the UK with the renowned Nick Ross Orchestra and performed with his other projects on the UK jazz circuit at prestigious venues including London's Vortex Jazz Club.

Philip is taking some time away from his quartet project, which is about to launch with a new CD with a tour of England and Scotland, to accompany Sam's vocals.

Frank Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century, forging a career as an award-winning singer and film actor.

Born in New Jersey in 1915, he rose to fame singing big band numbers. In the 1940s and 50s, he had a dazzling array of hit songs and albums and went on to appear in dozens of films, winning an Oscar for From Here to Eternity. He left behind a massive catalogue of work that includes iconic tunes like Fly Me To The Moon and I Get A Kick Out Of You.

Sinatra received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and headlined the 1965 Newport Jazz Festival with Count Basie's Orchestra. The 1960s also marked his Las Vegas debut, where he continued to appear as a main attraction at Caesars Palace. As a founding member of the Rat Pack alongside Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin, Sinatra came to epitomize the hard-drinking, womanizing, gambling swinger—an image constantly reinforced by the popular press and Sinatra's own albums. With his modern edge and timeless class, even the radical youth had to pay Sinatra his due.

The performance will take place at 8pm. For more information, please call 01308 424204.