Today, and in the next two posts, you and I will celebrate the New Year by enjoying some music that was recorded at a private home jam session on May 30, 1942, but was only recently discovered. It’s always great to hear more Tatum, and this find is especially exciting because, though most people today don’t know it, Nat “King” Cole was a famous and influential jazz pianist before he ever recorded as a singer. He had been inspired by Tatum, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, and others, but his style was distinctive and very recognizable. He takes a terrific piano solo on one of these discovered tracks. And on one song he is playing bass!
Congrats to the whole team for sharing this new and intriguing music with the world!! That Nat chorus on LBG is unlike anything else I’ve heard from him before.
I do feel a bit of a sense of loss re NKC's abandoning the piano, but that's because I tend to think it's a much higher calling than being a vocalist. obviously he felt differently, or maybe the money was just that much better. we see the same thing today but on steroids, always about the vocalist, the musicians an afterthought if they're even on stage rather than being replaced by prerecorded tracks. worse, sometimes the singer ain't singing just lip-syncing. (not talking about jazz but "pop" music) happy 2024 to Lewis Porter and everyone else.
Of course, he was more than just a singer--he was an exceptional and highly regarded one. But believe me, many people wish he had continued to work more as a pianist. He did play piano occasionally on TV--short solos, mostly. But on one show with an audience he joked "Why did I give up the piano? It's too heavy to cart around to my performances." Significantly, nobody laughed and there was dead silence. THANK YOU DEAN!
dang I'm starting to sing a lot more while playing piano, and made that joke to my guitar player who's been playing the clubs for 60 years. learning that the best singing comes when you're not playing much at all and not crazy about that much, I've always preferred the music to the vocals. but golly I also don't want anyone else stealing some thunder because folks always focus on the singer.
Ha ha all true--and by the way I understand, because I can sing pretty well when I'm focusing on my voice and not distracted by handling the piano music at the same time. THANKS
Cole doesn't get enough respect for his piano playing. His Trio recordings are superb, in part due to his soloing and also to his interplay with guitarist Oscar Moore.
Absolutely--of course he achieved fame with the Trio--it's just that eventually his singing overshadowed that, and people today don't know about it. THANK YOU DAVID
Of course, Nat made his recording debut as a member of his brother Eddie's little band, and Eddie was a bassist. As you note, a little bit of doubling would not be out of the question for someone so talented.
(I'd hate to be without the recordings of Nat with Prez...)
Yes, Nat and Pres are a great combination in 42 and 45. I thought of mentioning that his brother played bass--I think I will add it after all, since that meant he had the opportunity to check out the bass at home. THANK YOU TED
I think that brief “Tea for Two” performance includes Les Paul on guitar if it’s the version I recall as being released decades ago on a Verve LP. Nat was an astonishing pianist.
Yes, Nat was amazing and Les Paul was too! His playing on that JATP is some of his best jazz work, but that's a whole other story for another time. THANK YOU!
What a gem this is. Thank you for transporting us back so many years to hear these giants perform in such a casual home setting. Oh to have been there or at any of the popup rent party cutting sessions that were such common proving grounds for the greats of the past.
Very interesting. I've long been hip to Nat Cole the pianist. Mark Murphy and I got into a conversation maybe 20 years ago about Nat and Prez, and that he'd love to hear the two of them together. I told him about the '40s things they'd done together. Barefield certainly was Prez's man at this point. First time I've paid attention to him.
These are also great audio restoration jobs, using their ears, focusing on the music, not the record scratch. Very nice life in them. One thing I've done years ago with tracks like this was electronic razor-blade edits of the loudest ticks on LP transfers. It's a great way to blow a lot of hours.
What I've done is removed pops and clicks electronically -- that is, the electronic equivalent of physically cutting the tape. Cutting tape is risky, and most difficult -- you can't easily go back. The electronic equivalent is not risky at all -- you try it, listen, and can restore or try again. There's some of it on the Prez clarinet I sent you, and I remember doing on some tracks from Johnny Richards' "Something Else," which I valued enough to have spent the hours. Richards is one of my favorite writers, and the band that played those sessions was special. It included Shorty, Rosolino, Kamuca, Mariano, Paich, Maynard, and Stan Levey. One of the more adventurous things I did with the Prez set was on "Indiana" when I pushed the level up for each note during his out-chorus, to help him be heard when the trumpet section is playing accents and he's off mic. This was from a broadcast that I found on a small label documenting every sequential thing they could find. What I did was subtle, but it helps us follow hear what he was doing.
Ha ha--you confused me by using the phrase "razor-blade" but you added "electronic"--I understand now. I have a lot of experience with editing actual tape with razos in the old days--and I sometimes write and teach about edits in famous jazz recordings (as I've done in a couple of my essays here on Coltrane, Sonny/Hawk, etc.). Nice job on the Pres. I've heard a lot of RIchards but not that one--am checking it out now--Nice! THANKS JIM!
Congrats to the whole team for sharing this new and intriguing music with the world!! That Nat chorus on LBG is unlike anything else I’ve heard from him before.
Thanks, Loren! Yes, Nat's playing is a delight!
just incredible.
I do feel a bit of a sense of loss re NKC's abandoning the piano, but that's because I tend to think it's a much higher calling than being a vocalist. obviously he felt differently, or maybe the money was just that much better. we see the same thing today but on steroids, always about the vocalist, the musicians an afterthought if they're even on stage rather than being replaced by prerecorded tracks. worse, sometimes the singer ain't singing just lip-syncing. (not talking about jazz but "pop" music) happy 2024 to Lewis Porter and everyone else.
Of course, he was more than just a singer--he was an exceptional and highly regarded one. But believe me, many people wish he had continued to work more as a pianist. He did play piano occasionally on TV--short solos, mostly. But on one show with an audience he joked "Why did I give up the piano? It's too heavy to cart around to my performances." Significantly, nobody laughed and there was dead silence. THANK YOU DEAN!
dang I'm starting to sing a lot more while playing piano, and made that joke to my guitar player who's been playing the clubs for 60 years. learning that the best singing comes when you're not playing much at all and not crazy about that much, I've always preferred the music to the vocals. but golly I also don't want anyone else stealing some thunder because folks always focus on the singer.
Ha ha all true--and by the way I understand, because I can sing pretty well when I'm focusing on my voice and not distracted by handling the piano music at the same time. THANKS
Cole doesn't get enough respect for his piano playing. His Trio recordings are superb, in part due to his soloing and also to his interplay with guitarist Oscar Moore.
Absolutely--of course he achieved fame with the Trio--it's just that eventually his singing overshadowed that, and people today don't know about it. THANK YOU DAVID
Of course, Nat made his recording debut as a member of his brother Eddie's little band, and Eddie was a bassist. As you note, a little bit of doubling would not be out of the question for someone so talented.
(I'd hate to be without the recordings of Nat with Prez...)
Yes, Nat and Pres are a great combination in 42 and 45. I thought of mentioning that his brother played bass--I think I will add it after all, since that meant he had the opportunity to check out the bass at home. THANK YOU TED
Splendid way to start the New Year! Thank you, Lewis! The "King" Cole piano is a true delight!!
THANK YOU RICHARD!
I think that brief “Tea for Two” performance includes Les Paul on guitar if it’s the version I recall as being released decades ago on a Verve LP. Nat was an astonishing pianist.
Yes, Nat was amazing and Les Paul was too! His playing on that JATP is some of his best jazz work, but that's a whole other story for another time. THANK YOU!
IIRC (and I often don't) Paul played at that concert because Oscar Moore wasn't available.
Interesting--that certainly could be the case--THANK YOU JOE
What a gem this is. Thank you for transporting us back so many years to hear these giants perform in such a casual home setting. Oh to have been there or at any of the popup rent party cutting sessions that were such common proving grounds for the greats of the past.
You said it--even these little samples are delightful to hear! THANK YOU BILL
Very interesting. I've long been hip to Nat Cole the pianist. Mark Murphy and I got into a conversation maybe 20 years ago about Nat and Prez, and that he'd love to hear the two of them together. I told him about the '40s things they'd done together. Barefield certainly was Prez's man at this point. First time I've paid attention to him.
These are also great audio restoration jobs, using their ears, focusing on the music, not the record scratch. Very nice life in them. One thing I've done years ago with tracks like this was electronic razor-blade edits of the loudest ticks on LP transfers. It's a great way to blow a lot of hours.
That's great that you hipped Mark Murphy to the Pres and Cole sessions. Interesting about removing skips--risky work! Very cool. THANK YOU JIM
What I've done is removed pops and clicks electronically -- that is, the electronic equivalent of physically cutting the tape. Cutting tape is risky, and most difficult -- you can't easily go back. The electronic equivalent is not risky at all -- you try it, listen, and can restore or try again. There's some of it on the Prez clarinet I sent you, and I remember doing on some tracks from Johnny Richards' "Something Else," which I valued enough to have spent the hours. Richards is one of my favorite writers, and the band that played those sessions was special. It included Shorty, Rosolino, Kamuca, Mariano, Paich, Maynard, and Stan Levey. One of the more adventurous things I did with the Prez set was on "Indiana" when I pushed the level up for each note during his out-chorus, to help him be heard when the trumpet section is playing accents and he's off mic. This was from a broadcast that I found on a small label documenting every sequential thing they could find. What I did was subtle, but it helps us follow hear what he was doing.
Ha ha--you confused me by using the phrase "razor-blade" but you added "electronic"--I understand now. I have a lot of experience with editing actual tape with razos in the old days--and I sometimes write and teach about edits in famous jazz recordings (as I've done in a couple of my essays here on Coltrane, Sonny/Hawk, etc.). Nice job on the Pres. I've heard a lot of RIchards but not that one--am checking it out now--Nice! THANKS JIM!
WOW!!!
This is great! Wow!
THANKS!