“One of the finest jazz pianists of the 1940s and a popular jazz-oriented singer with his King Cole Trio, Nat King Cole changed in the 1950s (after having a major hit with “Mona Lisa”) into a very popular crooner who occasionally played some piano for variety in his shows. Instead of being a competitor of Teddy Wilson and Earl Hines, by the mid-1950s he was competing with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. While many of his later fans in the U.S. did not even know that he had been a major jazz pianist, in Europe his audiences preferred that he play piano. (…) The previously unreleased music on Live In Paris is taken from slightly later in the tour, featuring highlights from two concerts performed on April 19, 1960. First Cole, who was in top voice, performs “Dance Ballerina Dance,” “Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup” and “The Continental” with the orchestra. Then on “It’s Only A Paper Moon,” “Sweet Lorraine” and a rollicking “Route 66,” he plays and sings with the rhythm section, taking excellent piano solos while giving his longtime guitarist John Collins some chances to stretch out. Having proven that he could still play jazz, Cole finishes the concert by singing “Welcome To The Club” and “Joe Turner’s Blues” for the satisfied audience. Since it covers two concerts, this CD repeats all of those songs in the second show, adding three instrumentals (“Tickle Toe,” “Blues In The Night” and “Lester Leaps In”) from the Quincy Jones Big Band plus a Cole encore on “Thou Swell.” Nat King Cole fans, whether they prefer his singing or piano playing, will enjoy this fine set.“
By Scott YANOW - LOS ANGELES JAZZ SCENE
By Scott YANOW - LOS ANGELES JAZZ SCENE