For Frank Sinatra and Count Basie connoisseurs two albums which cannot pass by without mention came from a few evenings of live recording in January and February of 1966 in the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Sinatra was headlining that week, with the Basie orchestra opening and backing him up. With music conducted and arranged by Quincy Jones, these star-studded evenings led to many definitive versions of songs readily associated with Frank and the Basie Orchestra.
Sinatra At The Sands (Reprise, July 1966) was Frank’s first live record, and contained such classics as “Come Fly With Me”, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Fly Me To The Moon”, and “One For my Baby”.
Count Basie: Live At The Sands (Before Frank), is a Reprise compilation from live recordings of 3 of the Basie Orchestra’s opening set on the engagement, and includes such gems as “All of Me”, “Splanky”, “Flight of the Foo Birds”, and “Jumpin’ at the Woodside”.
In addition to these two recordings this program will borrow lightly from other similar-era recordings of Sinatra, from a television clip of Frank with Judy Garland and Dean Martin, and from the Nelson Riddle and Rosemary Clooney recording, Rosie Solves the Swingin’ Riddle (RCA, 1961).
For the opening concert of their 19th season, Jesse Cloninger and the Emerald City Jazz Kings in big band formation take on these masterpieces. Definitely a show not to miss!
| | Splanky (1957) Neal Hefti (m) |
| | You Make Me Feel So Young (1946) Three Little Girls In Blue Mack Gordon (w) Josef Myrow (m) |
| | You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You (1944) Russ Morgan, Larry Stock, James Cavanaugh (w/m) |
| |  | All Of Me (1931) Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons (w/m) |
| | The September Of My Years |
| | Theme from New York, New York (1977) New York, New York Fred Ebb (w) John Kander (m) |