It Might as Well Be Swing was originally released in 1964 and features Sinatra accompanied by the Count Basie orchestra. It was Sinatra's first studio recording with Quincy Jones. This was Sinatra and Basie's second collaboration after 1963's Sinatra-Basie. Sinatra's cover version of "Hello Dolly" on the album features a new second verse improvised by Sinatra, which pays tribute to Louis Armstrong, who had topped the Billboard charts with his own version of the song earlier in 1964. 10 tracks. Universal.
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This 1964 release was the second collaboration between Frank Sinatra and Count Basie, and features a much higher percentage of swing-oriented arrangements (courtesy of Quincy Jones) than the previous Sinatra-Basie. This time around, the Count Basie Orchestra gives the swinging treatment to such contemporary numbers as "More," "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Wives and Lovers," and "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)," and Sinatra responds with plenty of exuberance and gusto. It's got a good beat, and you can dance to it; out of all the tracks, only "Hello, Dolly!" fails to stand the test of time (or repeated listenings). --Dan Epstein
