CD Review: Nat King Cole - For Sentimental Reasons.

Nat King Cole (piano/vocals); Irving Ashby/Oscar Moore (guitar); Johnny Miller/Joe Comfort (bass); Jack Costanzo (bongos) + Billy May/Stan Kenton Orchestras - 1 track each).

(Review by Lance).

A master class, not only in singing but in jazz piano. This is what begat Oscar Peterson and provided the groundwork for the Shearing Quintet. Apart from that, the smoothest voice you'll ever hear. Strangely, Sinatra moved from fairly straight ballad singing to the most swinging cat on the block whereas Cole moved in the opposite direction.

Fortunately, the 21 tracks here, dating from 1943 to 1951, are predominantly jazz orientated with Cole's vocals and bop piano licks as delectable now as they were 70 plus years ago. The instrumentals - Cole Capers and Bop Kick - rubber stamp his piano credentials. Brief snatches of guitar from Moore and Ashby add to the mix. Peterson later used the piano, guitar and bass format for many years and, if memory serves me right, I think Ashby also had a spell with Oscar prior to Kessel and Ellis. The Canadian also recorded some vocal tracks and guess who he sounded like? Got it in one!

Walking My Baby Back Home and Orange Colored Sky both charted. The former with Billy May and those slurping saxes, the latter with Kenton's brass-heavy ensemble which did no harm at all. Nor did Pete Rugulo's arrangement of That's my Girl deserve the ignominy of being the B side to one of Cole's biggest hits - Too Young. I remember buying the 78 as a kid and playing the B side more than Too Young. After all, it was an Ellington tune. It was only when I received this album that I discovered that the Ellington in question was not Duke but the Britisher Ray Ellington!

If you like classic singing, swinging piano and, in Oscar Moore and Irving Ashby, two of the most underrated of the post-Charlie Christian guitarists then this is an absolute must.

Like the rest of the series, the re-mastering is simply magnificent.

Another one of the essential BMG Dreyfus Jazz releases due out on May 10.

Lance.
This is my Night to Dream; (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons; I've Got a Way With Women; I'll String Along With You; Walking My Baby Home; Portrait of Jennie; If You Can't Smile and Say Yes; I Used to Love You; If I Had You; I'm in the Mood For Love; 'Deed I Do; Don't Blame Me; Orange Colored Sky; On the Sunny Side of the Street; Bop Kick; I'm an Errand Boy For Rhythm; That's My Girl; You're the cream in my Coffee; It's Only a Paper Moon.