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Chapter 22: A Kiss To Build A Dream On

Big-band ballads & bops

I love quiet Sinatra. The Frank Sinatra caricature is big and brassy, but he can be an incredibly subtle performer, and his gift for a simple, heartbreaking line reading surfaces in two cuts here. Other highlights from these big band era classics: an exuberant Louis Armstrong solo, the ultimate call-and-response track “Minnie The Moocher,” and Yusef Lateef’s jazz take on the timeless love theme from Spartacus.
1. Louis Armstrong

A Kiss to Build a Dream On

2. Frank Sinatra

Mam'selle

3. Cab Calloway and His Orchestra

Minnie The Moocher

4. Kay Kyser and His Orchestra

Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition

5. Cannonball Adderley

Dancing In The Dark

6. Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra

Hey! Ba-ba Re-bob

7. George Lewis

Just a Closer Walk With Thee

8. Frank Sinatra

In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning

9. Yusef Lateef

Love Theme from Spartacus

10. Nat "King" Cole

Unforgettable