Recorded in 1958, when Tony Bennett was fronting the Count Basie Orchestra, this album captures a real essence of the sound of the day. At the time Basie had an outstanding rhythm section with Freddie Green (guitar), Eddie Jones (bass), Sonny Payne (drums), a tight and powerful brass section lead by Thad Jones (trumpet), a smooth silky reed section featuring Frank Foster (tenor) and some clever and skilful arrangements by Neil Hefti. Leading up to this period the Basie Orchestra had been recording with a number of singers, however it was Bennett's style and timbre that blended so beautifully with the Basie band. Basie had refined the sound, whilst maintaining that classic swing sound but using more contemporary styles of arrangements and instrumentation. Whether it was the Basie sound at the time or Bennett's vocal style this album was able to breathe life into many of classic ballads and standards on this album. To this day Bennett cherishes the time he had with the Basie Orchestra and believes it was a pivotal time in his musical career. At one stage Bennett did consider updating his act. “I asked Count Basie if I should try rock. Basie told me in that sly, wise way of his, ‘Why change an apple?’” Just as well Bennett took that advice on-board, as he has been able to enjoy a career that spans over 60 years and still to this day remains household name.
