Nat King Cole

As a singer, Nat ‘King’ Cole had a voice that enthralled audiences around the world for more than two decades and earned him success in the pop charts with a string of hit singles and albums on Capitol Records. What has remained underappreciated though, certainly among popular music fans, is that Nat was also an incredible jazz musician. His dexterity at the piano put him at the top of the critics’ and readers’ polls of magazines such as DownBeat who inducted him, posthumously, into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. Nat’s incredible phrasing, timing and perfect pitch, were the very cornerstones of a vocal style born out of his prowess as a jazz musician.

On this rare and recently discovered concert recording from the archives of Swiss Radio, the balance between Nat’s pop and jazz output can be said to have been redressed. Jazz fans aplenty will be enthralled to hear the generous portions of Nat’s piano playing, and then equally enthralled by the added bonus of an all-star Quincy Jones Big Band in attendance. Whether in full-flight with the big band hanging on his coattails or in the intimacy of his trio, the performances captured on this CD are absolute treasures to be heard and appreciated, time and time again.

PERSONNEL:

NAT KING COLE, piano & voice
BENNY BAILEY, ROGER GUÉRIN LENNY JOHNSON & FLOYD STANDIFER, trumpet
JIMMY CLEVELAND, AKE PERSSON, MELBA LISTON & QUENTIN JACKSON, trombones
JULIUS WATKINS, french horn
PHIL WOODS, PORTER KILBERT BUDD JOHNSON,
JEROME RICHARDSON & SAHIB SHIHAB, saxes
PATTI BROWN, piano
BUDDY CATLETT, bass
JOE HARRIS, drums

Kongresshaus Zürich, May 1, 1960

TRACKS:
01 Quincy Jones announcement
02 Moanin
03 The Midnight Sun Will Never Set
04 Airmail Special
05 Unforgettable
06 Madrid
07 Tea For Two
08 Laura
09 On The Sunny Side Of The Street
10 The Phantom Blues
11 Lester Leaps In
12 Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
13 It’s Only A Paper Moon
14 Sweet Lorraine
15 Route 66
16 Joe Turner Blues
17 Interview Nat ‘King’ Cole-Lance Tschannen