Tony Bennett & Count Basie – One Night Stand

Tony Bennett & Count Basie – One Night Stand

One Night Stand brings together two giants of American music: legendary vocalist Tony Bennett and the incomparable Count Basie Orchestra. This 10-track collection features recordings made in New York in late 1958 and January 1959, capturing Bennett at the height of his early Columbia-era career backed by Basie's famously economical, swinging big-band sound. The recordings were originally released in 1959 as Strike Up The Band, while this UK Allegro edition, ALLR 799, appeared in 1966 under the title A One Night Stand!.

Bennett's relaxed but impeccably phrased vocals are perfectly matched by Count Basie's orchestra, with Ralph Sharon providing the arrangements and piano on much of the session. The band features a remarkable collection of Basie musicians, including trumpeters Thad Jones, Joe Newman and Snooky Young, saxophonists Frank Foster, Frank Wess and Marshall Royal, trombonists Henry Coker and Al Grey, guitarist Freddie Green and drummer Sonny Payne.

The programme draws heavily on the Great American Songbook, opening with the exuberant “Strike Up The Band” before moving through “I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plans,” “Chicago” and “Growing Pains.” Bennett's interpretation of “Life Is A Song” demonstrates the warmth and conversational quality that made him one of the defining traditional pop and jazz vocalists of his generation.

Side Two continues with “I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face,” “Jeepers Creepers,” “Anything Goes,” “Poor Little Rich Girl” and “Are You Havin' Any Fun.” The repertoire ranges from Cole Porter and George Gershwin-associated material to Broadway and popular standards, giving Basie's orchestra plenty of opportunities to swing behind Bennett without overwhelming his voice. The recordings of “Jeepers Creepers,” “Chicago,” “Life Is A Song” and “Poor Little Rich Girl” are all documented as part of the Bennett/Basie recording catalogue and subsequently appeared on several later reissues.

What makes this pairing so effective is the contrast between Bennett's rich, expressive vocal style and Basie's understated, rhythmically precise big-band approach. Rather than simply providing a conventional orchestral backing, Basie's band gives the songs a genuine jazz character, with the distinctive Freddie Green rhythm-guitar pulse and Basie's famously economical piano style sitting underneath the arrangements.

For collectors of Tony Bennett, Count Basie, vocal jazz, Swing, big-band records and the Great American Songbook, One Night Stand is an excellent example of the two artists' celebrated collaboration. The recordings belong to the golden age of late-1950s American jazz and traditional pop, while the 1966 Allegro UK pressing makes this particular edition especially interesting to collectors of British budget and reissue labels.

Side A

1. Strike Up The Band
2. I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plans
3. Chicago
4. Growing Pains
5. Life Is A Song

Side B

1. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
2. Jeepers Creepers
3. Anything Goes
4. Poor Little Rich Girl
5. Are You Havin' Any Fun