The material on the album was recorded between 1952 and 1953, and was drawn from two 10-inch LPs, both titled "Jazz at NBC", which were previously issued by the Royal Roost label.

Songs on the album, which reveal the influence of Smith's experiences with the NBC Studio Orchestra, and as a multi-instrument musician, include the title track and the original composition "Jaguar".

The title track, singled out for its virtuosity, was a highly influential rendition of a jazz standard that secured Smith's position in the public eye.

[6] Critically regarded as one of the defining albums of cool jazz,[7] it is listed in A Concise History of Electric Guitar among those few recordings which "firmly established" the electric guitar's "sound in popular culture, elevating it from the dark dissonance of bebop jazz to the more consonant textures of a rapidly developing style called western swing".

According to Getz biographer Dave Gelly, the song became an "unexpected hit",[10] an unusual occurrence in jazz music,[11] remaining on the charts for months.

[14] Echo and Twang characterized it as "complete with Smith's clear, reverb-tinged sound, his fleet-fingered but relaxed three-octave runs, and above all his lush, close-voiced, chord melody style".