Nat King Cole

Vocalists loved fronting the hard-swinging yet elegant Count Basie band. Nat Cole nabbed the band but the Count himself was not allowed to appear on this LP, which remains one of Cole's finest. In finger-snapping jazz mode, Nat handles the upbeat numbers and downbeat torch songs with equal aplomb. Highlights include simmering saunters through "Baby, Won't You Please Come Home," Ellington's "Mood Indigo" and "Wee Baby Blues," which shows how well Cole works with the Basie Kansas City blues style. The supple charts are by Dave Cavanaugh, who spent most of his time producing sessions at Capitol.