Welcome to the Club is a 1959 album by Nat King Cole, arranged by Dave Cavanaugh. Cole is accompanied by an uncredited Count Basie Orchestra, without Count Basie himself.
Welcome to the Club was chosen as one of Billboard magazine's 'Spotlight Winners of the Week' upon its release in February 1959. Billboard commented that "Cole works out on a group of swinging, jazz-oriented offerings with interesting backings by Dave Cavanaugh...Cole himself, as usual, is fine and somewhat reminiscent of his earlier swinging efforts." The review also noted the similarity of the album's arrangements to Count Basie's, and praised Cole's efforts on the blues tracks, "I Want a Little Girl" and "Wee Baby Blues".
Contents
Track listing
"Welcome to the Club" (Noel Sherman, Dick Wolf) – 2:44
"Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere" (Ned Washington, Lee Wiley, Victor Young) – 2:19
"The Blues Don't Care" (Vic Abrams) – 2:10
"Mood Indigo" (Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington, Irving Mills) – 3:21
"Baby Won't You Please Come Home" (Charles Warfield, Clarence Williams) – 2:11
"The Late, Late Show" (Roy Alfred, Murray Berlin) – 2:32
"Avalon" (Buddy DeSylva, Al Jolson, Billy Rose) – 1:45
"She's Funny That Way" (Neil Moret, Richard Whiting) – 3:02
"I Want a Little Girl" (Murray Mencher, Billy Moll) – 2:49
"Wee Baby Blues" (Pete Johnson, Big Joe Turner) – 3:16
"Look Out for Love" (Danny Meehan, Colin Romoff) – 1:58
Personnel
Nat King Cole – vocal
Dave Cavanaugh – arranger, conductor
The Count Basie Orchestra
consisting of:
Marshall Royal – alto saxophone
Frank Wess – alto saxophone
Frank Foster – tenor saxophone
Billy Mitchell – tenor saxophone
Charlie Fowlkes – baritone saxophone
John Anderson – trumpet
Joe Newman – trumpet
Wendell Culley – trumpet
Thad Jones – trumpet
Snooky Young – trumpet
Henry Coker – trombone
Benny Powell – trombone
Al Grey – trombone
Gerald Wiggins – piano
Freddie Green – guitar
Eddie Jones – bass
Sonny Payne – drums