1966 · Album
At the Sands
Recorded Live, Copa Room, Sands Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, 1966 · Reprise Records · Conductor and Arranger: Quincy Jones
Sinatra and Basie Under the Desert Sky
Sinatra and Basie together in Las Vegas, swinging hard with Quincy Jones holding it all together.
Las Vegas in 1966 was Frank Sinatra's territory, and this live set from the Copa Room proves why. He's paired here with Count Basie and his orchestra, arranged by Quincy Jones, and the result is exactly what you'd hope for: no pretense, no studio fussing, just three masters working in real time. Sinatra was already in his later years by this point, but his voice had lost none of its control. What you hear on these recordings is a singer who knew what he was doing, supported by a rhythm section that didn't need to be told twice.
The Basie band provides the backbone—tight, swinging, never overplaying. Jones arranged these charts to let Sinatra breathe, which is the right call. The band accompanies rather than competes. What sets this apart from Sinatra's studio work is the energy you can feel, the way he responds to the audience and the live acoustic reality of the room. There's no editing, no second takes. This is what happened that night in Las Vegas.
If you've heard plenty of Sinatra already, this is worth seeking out as a snapshot of where he was by the mid-1960s. It's not a reinvention or a bold statement—it's a working engagement, professionally done and genuinely enjoyable. For the casual listener, start with something earlier like Come Fly with Me (1957). This one's for people who already know Sinatra and want to hear him live with a major orchestra behind him.
Who's playing
Norman Keenanbass
Count Basiepiano
Bill Millerpiano
Freddie Greenguitar
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davistenor saxophone
Charlie Fowlkesbaritone saxophone
Bobby Plateralto saxophone
Marshall Royalalto saxophone
Al Aaronstrumpet
Sonny Cohntrumpet
Wallace Davenporttrumpet
Harry “Sweets” Edisontrumpet
Phillip Guilbeautrumpet
Henderson Chamberstrombone
Bill Hughestrombone
Grover Mitchelltrombone
Eric Dixonflute
Irv Cottlerdrums
Sonny Paynedrums
Al Greyinstrument
Where next?
More by Frank Sinatra
Songs for Swingin’ Lovers! 1956
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely 1958
Ring-a-Ding Ding! 1961
September of My Years 1965
The musicians on this record
Arthur Prysock / Count Basie 1966
Count Basie
plays piano here
plays piano here
Mr. Rhythm 1956
Freddie Green
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
