After reading the text's description of "sweet" contrasted with "hot" swing bands and the placement of Benny Goodman in the latter category, I was somewhat surprised that the first half of this arrangement sounded so smooth and, to my ears, "sweet". What I mean is that the reeds are playing with a very mellow sound and the brass are consistently playing muted or softly if unmuted.
It is reasonable that this type of sound would be maintained behind a vocal solo so that the soloist can be heard. After the vocalist is finished, then the brass take a more prominent role with a somewhat firmer tone. I am sure that some of these issues also have to do with the type of song being presented. This is essentially a ballad, so the quieter tone is appropriate. It is just not what comes to mind for a group defined as "hot". Perhaps a song that is more uptempo would make that distinction more clear...
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