Sinatra–Basie: An Historic Musical First

Sinatra–Basie: An Historic Musical First (a.k.a. Sinatra-Basie) is a 1962 studio album by Frank Sinatra, with the Count Basie Orchestra arranged by Neal Hefti.

Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First
Studio album by Frank Sinatra
Released	December 10, 1962 (LP) June 20, 1988 (CD)
Recorded	October 2–3, 1962
Studio	United Recording, Hollywood, California
Genre	Vocal jazz, jazz
Length	33:05
Label	Reprise FS 1008
Frank Sinatra chronology
Sinatra Sings of Love and Things (1962) Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First (1962) The Concert Sinatra (1963)
Count Basie chronology
Basie in Sweden (1962) Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First (1962) On My Way & Shoutin' Again! (1962)

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This was the first recording that Sinatra made with Basie. In 1964, Sinatra and Basie would make a final studio recording, It Might as Well Be Swing, orchestrated by Quincy Jones, and Sinatra's first live album, Sinatra at the Sands (1966) would feature the Basie band.

Sinatra appeared on an episode of The Dinah Shore Show that aired on December 9, 1962, the day before Sinatra-Basie was released, and performed the album's arrangement of "Please Be Kind".

According to Will Friedwald's book Sinatra! The Song Is You, Basie was unfamiliar with some of the new material and "was a capable but not an expert reader [of sheet music]" quoting Sinatra's longtime pianist Bill Miller. Thus, Basie asked Miller to perform piano on "Pennies from Heaven."

Track listing

1. "Pennies from Heaven" (Arthur Johnston, Johnny Burke) – 3:29
2. "Please Be Kind" (Saul Chaplin, Sammy Cahn) – 2:43
3. "(Love Is) The Tender Trap" (Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:37
4. "Looking at the World Through Rose Colored Glasses" (Jimmy Steiger, Tommy Mailie) – 2:32
5. "My Kind of Girl" (Leslie Bricusse) – 4:37
6. "I Only Have Eyes for You" (Harry Warren, Al Dubin) – 3:31
7. "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:37
8. "Learnin' the Blues" (Dolores Vicki Silvers) – 4:25
9. "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" (Fred Ahlert, Joe Young) – 2:36
10. "I Won't Dance" (Jerome Kern, Jimmy McHugh, Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Fields, Otto Harbach) – 4:07

Personnel

• Frank Sinatra – vocals
• Count Basie – piano
• Bill Miller – piano
• Eric Dixon – flute, tenor saxophone
• Frank Wess – flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Frank Foster – tenor saxophone
• Marshall Royal – clarinet, alto saxophone
• Charlie Fowlkes – baritone saxophone
• Al Aarons – trumpet
• Sonny Cohn – trumpet
• Thad Jones – trumpet
• Al Porcino – trumpet
• Fip Ricard – trumpet
• Henry Coker – trombone
• Benny Powell – trombone
• Rufus Wagner – trombone
• Buddy Catlett – bass
• Freddie Green – guitar
• Sonny Payne – drums

Tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9:

3-October-1962 (Wednesday) - Hollywood. United Recording (from 7:30 to 11:00 P.M.).

Al Porcino, Thad Jones, Fip Ricard, Sonny Cohn, Al Aarons (tpt); Henry Coker, Rufus Wagner, Benny Powell (tbn); Marshall Royal (alt); Frank Wess (alt/fl); Frank Foster (ten); Eric Dixon (ten/fl); Charles Fowlkes (bar/fl); Count Basie, Bill Miller (p); Freddie Green (g); Buddy Catlett (b); Sonny Payne (d). Neal Hefti (arr & cond).

Tracks 2, 7, 8, 10;

2-October-1962 (Tuesday) - Hollywood. United Recording (from 7:30 to 10:30 P.M.).

Al Porcino, Thad Jones, Fip Ricard, Sonny Cohn, Al Aarons (tpt); Henry Coker, Rufus Wagner, Benny Powell (tbn); Marshall Royal (alt); Frank Wess (alt/fl); Frank Foster (ten); Eric Dixon (ten/fl); Charles Fowlkes (bar); Count Basie, Bill Miller (p); Freddie Green (g); Buddy Catlett (b); Sonny Payne (d). Neal Hefti (arr & cond).