Album Reviews

To really appreciate the magnitude of Nat ‘King’ Cole’s genius, imagine only the backing instruments without Nat’s piano. Consider the familiar melodies and then listen to what Nat does with them. Then imagine inventing and filling in the spaces yourself!

Of course, that’s not exactly fair, but neither is dismissing these dated recordings as cocktail music, or easy listening as I suspect some might, especially given the album title and the “formal wear” cover art.

Listen to Nat’s take of “Laura” as he moves around the melody, adding the flourishes, cascaded notes and playful dynamic gestures that keep the mind involved by bringing fresh surprises to every measure.

Cole had disbanded his trio to concentrate on singing, but changed his mind and returned to the studio to record a trio recording for release on the new 10” LP format.

Cole was attempting to attract a more mainstream audience with this recording, having watched trio competitors like Garner, Shearing and Jamal score with mainstream, LP buying audiences. Will Friedwald’s notes provide a complete and insightful backgrounder on the history and the music.

Three years after the 10” album’s successful 1952 release, Cole returned to the studio to produce four additional tracks needed to make a 12” LP, which by then had become the standard (There’s an odd typo in the annotation referring to the 10” album having been “…recorded at one fruitful session injury 1952”).

This re-issue adds 7 additional tracks, never before available on vinyl, including five with classic Cole vocals (“Unforgettable,” “Too Young,” “It’s only A Paper Moon,” “That’s My Girl,” and “Walking My Baby Back Home.”

These are old, yet intimate recordings and while the piano sound on some of the material is overly warm and somewhat “blobby,” it still exudes a tactile quality that’s uncommonly pleasing. The earlier material, particularly the tracks with Cole’s vocals, sound very good and if you’ve got a mono cartridge, or at least a mono switch on your phono preamp or preamp, you’ll be treated to a solid, intimate, three dimensional image floating between your speakers that’s downright intoxicating.

Speaking of which, this album of (patent leather) "shoe-gazing" music goes really well with a single malt, or maybe some cognac. It’s special and the gatefold packaging only adds to the package’s luster.