This meeting between jazz greats Nat King Cole and Quincy Jones, recorded at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, in 1960, came about quite by chance. Jones was in Paris with his big band to perform in the musical Free and Easy, which folded after just three weeks. An impromptu tour with Cole saved the day – we have Norman Granz to thank for bringing the two together and for this previously unreleased live concert, which comes hot on the heals of a Live in Zurich album from the same pairing released in 2013. Featuring Cole in big band and quartet settings, the latter with John Collins on guitar, Charles Harris on bass, and Lee Young (Lester's brother) on drums, it's an absolute joy to hear Cole's superb pianism on songs such as ‘Route 66’ and ‘It's Only a Paper Moon’, with its blink-andyou'll-miss-it quote from ‘The Irish Washerwoman’ jig. And what a pleasure to hear ‘Sweet Lorraine’, a song closely associated with Cole, which played a significant part in his transition from pianist to vocalist. Including the likes of sax players Sahib Shihab and Phil Woods, Jones's big band is terrific, as heard in a trio of big band only tracks, ‘Tickle Toe’, ‘Blues in the Night’ and ‘Lester Leaps In’.