At The Sands Review

07/13/2005 5:32 AM, AMG


A year after Nat "King" Cole's death, Capitol Records released this "live" album, recorded at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas on January 14, 1960. There is a historical interest, in that this is the only Cole concert recording, and it's an enjoyable performance, with more uptempo numbers than ballads and a piano solo on "Where or When" that demonstrates Cole had not lost his jazz chops. But Cole onstage is not a revelatory experience, at least on this night, and like most Vegas performances, this one is a little overdone. (An arrangement of Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" is especially unfortunate.) (Originally released in February 1966, Nat King Cole at the Sands [Capitol 2434] was reissued on CD in 1991 [Capitol 93786], and again in 2002 [Capitol 38694].) ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide