Appearing at a time when for the grand public Nat King Cole was more of a singer and entertainer than a Jazz pianist, this album was a reminder of Nat"s superlative skills as an instrumentalist. For the remainder of his successful career, which ended with his sudden death in 1965 due to lung cancer, he continued singing more and more, and playing less and less. This splendid, primarily instrumental album was to be one of his last hits as a pianist (as opposed to a singer and entertainer), presenting the classic Nat King Cole Trio plus some of his illustrious friends in Jazz (drums and horns). The current edition contains the complete master takes in their original session order, allowing the listener to enjoy the music just as it was recorded in August and September of 1956 and fully appreciate the collaboration between Cole"s magic and the horns. As a bonus, there is a previous session featuring Cole in a quartet format backed by the same rhythm section. 21 tracks. Essential Jazz Classics. 2007.