King Cole Comments No 25After Midnight on CD again - plus alternate take
Due out this month is a re-release of the After Midnight album on CD (Capitol 5200872).
Titled After Midnight - The Complete Session it comprises the original 12 tracks, plus the 5 that were added with the digital remastering plus an alternate take of You're Looking at Me making a total of 18 tracks.
Although it's definitely an alternate take of You're Looking at Me, it's very similar to the original version unlike Nat's duplicate version of other songs like Can't I and Portrait of Jennie. This alternate take has been issued before - it was on the Mosaic set - but only by accident! When I asked Michael Cuscuna of Mosaic Records about it, he said it was the only take in the vaults and he assumed it was the original. Anyway, for anyone who hasn't got the Mosaic set or After Midnight on CD here it is in one quality package.
Rare Nat King Cole 78 RPM
Those of you who have my Nat King Cole Singles Supplement listing all Nat's USA and UK 45s and 78s may be interested in a recent discovery to be added to the book. It's an issue of a 78 on the Atlas label of Got a Penny on USA Atlas KC 102. It's the same recording as on Atlas KC106 except the reverse is Don't You Notice Anything New? by Don Swan and Eileen Wilson, and not Let's Pretend. Nat King Cole - Straighten Up and Fly Right
A new company to me - ABM (Audio Book and Music Co Ltd) has issued a new mid-priced (£7.99) CD of early Nat King Cole recordings, mainly with the King Cole Trio, consisting of Nat (piano and vocal), Oscar Moore (guitar) and with the bass duties shared by Wesley Prince and Johnny Miller. The title is Straighten Up and Fly Right (AMMMCD 1026).
Nat King Cole's first recordings were made in 1936 - just four of them for Decca - officially with his brother's group "Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers". In fact it was Nat's own group at that time but they used Eddie's name because he was older and was well known in the Chicago area where they lived. After these initial four tracks Nat never recorded again until 1938 - he died in 1965.
These facts put this CD into perspective as the recording dates are from 1940 to 1944, indicating that they are taken from the very beginning of Nat's illustrious career.
They range from his Macgregor (4 tracks), Decca (6 tracks), and RCA (2 tracks) periods to his early Capitol recordings (10 tracks) plus a V-disc vocal and a vocal from Atlas for good measure.
Sixteen of the twenty-four tracks feature the Nat Cole voice but most of these vocals are pretty standard fare including such well-known and well-released tracks as Sweet Lorraine, It's Only a Paper Moon, Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You, and Straighten Up and Fly Right.
It's the six instrumental tracks that catch the ear because they include some fairly neglected items which showcase Nat's exceptional piano playing, such as Have Fun, Blue Because of You and I Got Rhythm (the Macgregor studio version, not the live version).
Blue Because of You and Jack the Bellboy are two of the ten tracks Nat and the Trio made with the Lionel Hampton Band in the summer of 1940. There was very little vocal work for Nat on the recordings he made with Lionel as they were made to either showcase the Trio, highlight Nat's piano playing, or as a back-up to Helen Forrest's vocals.
Bearing in mind the lack of Nat's singing on these RCA recordings it's interesting to ponder on the course Nat's career might have taken had he accepted Lionel Hampton's proposition for Nat and the Trio to become full-time members of his band. Would his vocal career have been stifled or would his vocal talent have found its way through? Certainly on the basis of these recordings it would have been difficult to predict that here was one of, if not the, greatest ballad singers of all time.
Standout tracks? Well, all the instrumentals still sound fresh and the opening track, the masterpiece Body and Soul, is worth the cost of the CD on its own. On the vocal side mention must be made of the Atlas recording My Lips Remember Your Kisses. The version included here is the full original take, without the fade-out finish and without the synthesiser that was added to later issues.
Although there is nothing new to CD on this release, the quality is excellent and it's well worth getting if any of these tracks are missing from your collection.
The Next Generation - Harleigh Cole
The latest talent to emerge from the Cole family is Nat's grandson Harleigh Cole, son of Nat's eldest daughter, Carole.
Harleigh's talent emerges in the form of a 15-track USA CD on USA Domo titled Black Light (Domo 72438-47377-2-6)
Amongst other instruments Harleigh plays piano, synthesizer, congas, clavinet, organ, drums and flute and fronts a thirteen piece group that includes strings, organ, harp, saxes, sitar, harmonica, trumpets, drums, guitar and bass.
The CD is mixed by Lionel Cole (can this be Freddy?), tributes in loving memory include Kelly Cole and Sparky (Sparky Tavares - Nat's valet) and the last track, Cookie, is dedicated to his mother.
Nineties music may not be your cup of tea but you have to admire the artistry and musicianship of Harleigh and his debut CD.
Payment in USA
Please note that the address in the USA to send payments for books and CDs is:
Make sure that David knows the payment is for me and also let me know it has been sent. Donations
Since the last "KCC" donations have been received from the following: Dale Maxfield, Will Smith, "Andy", Tony Galaca, Stan Maes, June Ratcliffe, Dave Cruickshank, Steven Bridge, Ron Morgan, Michael Leach, Keith Press, Bernard Williams, Ken Brophy, Sandra Bird, Garry Jones, Norman Skolnick, Ron Young, Janet Gallagher, Joan Pickton, Dave Rebholtz, James Scott, Derek Miller.
As many of you know I prefer to keep this newsletter free and to rely on the generosity of the recipients to give donations to finance its production. All the above have sent money, LPs, videos, cassettes or CDs and it is to them I give a big "thank-you" for their interest, support and generosity.
Nat King Cole on Parkinson
Michael Parkinson gave an interesting radio tribute to Nat on BBC Radio 2 on 1st June 1999.
He played Straighten Up and Fly Right, When I Fall in Love, What is this Thing Called Love, Walkin' My Baby Back Home, Exactly Like You (with Sinatra), I Know that You Know, Stardust and Route 66.
Michael showed that he not only knew his subject but also had enjoyed Nat's recording over a long period - even from his courting days (his term).
Goodbye John Ratcliffe
Sad to report that another Nat Cole fan and supporter of King Cole Comments has passed away. John Ratcliffe had been with King Cole Comments from the beginning and will be greatly missed. Sincere condolences to his wife June, family and friends.
The Crooners - BBC Radio Series
Nat King Cole's recording of My Flaming Heart opened Part 3 of this BBC Radio 2 six part series titled The Crooners. Narrated by Michael Ball (who got the name of Nat's film wrong - Small Time Girl!), it purported to trace the development of the crooner. The other track played of Nat's was You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You.
The whole set seemed disjointed and many great singers were omitted while people like Barry Manilow and Harry Conniff were included plus Michael Ball not only mentioning himself but playing his own record alongside the greats like Nat, Sinatra, Torme, Crosby etc.
The Complete Nat King Cole at "Jazz at the Philharmonic" - Unissued Recordings
A ten CD boxed set on USA Verve (314523893-2) titled The Complete Jazz at the Philharmonic on Verve 1944 to 1949 brings together all the original 78s, singles, EPs, CDs, 10" and 12" LPs previously issued to give eleven hours of live jazz from the Forties. Included are many of the all-time greats of jazz including Buck Clayton, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, J.J.Johnson, Gene Krupa, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, Buddy Rich, Willie Smith, Charlie Ventura, Lester Young and Trummy Young. On vocals there are Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and of course Nat King Cole with one vocal and plenty of piano.
Five of the eleven tracks featuring Nat are over nine minutes long giving a total playing time of Nat's involvement of over 1 1/4 hours including four previously unissued tracks. These are a vocal version of Sweet Lorraine and instrumental versions of One O'Clock Jump, Lady Be Good and The Man I Love (with a vocal by Carolyn Richards). Sweet Lorraine and One O'Clock Jump were issued to the American forces via AFRS 16" transcriptions of One Night Stand nos. 89 and 315 but this is their first commercial release.
On Sweet Lorraine Nat isn't backed by his regular trio of the time but there's no arguing with the quality of the accompaniment with Les Paul on guitar, Johnny Miller on bass and Lee Young on drums plus some interesting piano from Nat.
Other members from Nat's Trios are featured regularly throughout the concerts. These include, as well as Johnny Miller and Lee Young already mentioned, Irving Ashby, Red Callender, John Collins and J.C.Heard.
Titles of the other tracks featuring Nat King Cole on piano are Lester Leaps In, Tea for Two, Body and Soul, I've Found a New Baby, Rosetta, Bugle Call Rag and one of the most exciting and humorous moments in jazz - the 10 minute version of Blues - with Nat and Les Paul imitating each other's riffs.
These seven tracks featuring Nat that were previously issued were all collected on the 1994 Verve CD Jazz at the Philharmonic - The First Concert (Verve 521 646-2).
Within the wooden and glass box in which the CDs are housed, the individual CDs are in gatefold CD sleeves in their original LP covers with original artwork.
The set comes with a 222-page booklet packed with information and photos on the artists and the concerts giving biographies, interviews and discographical data. The book itself probably takes longer to read than it takes to play the 10 CDs. Nat Cole's Kings No. 10 - Ralph Carmichael
Ralph Carmichael was born in Quincy, Illinois, USA in 1927 and as early as 1951, at the age of 24, he won a prized Emmy for producing and directing the best telecast in the cultural field.
Ralph's first recording with Nat King Cole was When It's Summer recorded on 9th March 1960.
With the demand for the talents of arrangers/conductors of the calibre of Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins and Billy May on the one hand, and the increase in sales of long-playing records on the other, it was difficult for companies like Capitol Records to keep up the supply of quality albums by their leading vocalists such as Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, so Capitol turned to 33-year-old Ralph Carmichael to fill the breach.
It's interesting to note that Ralph recorded nine concept albums with Nat - more than the total albums Nat recorded with Nelson Riddle and Billy May put together.
Their first album together was The Magic of Christmas recorded in July 1960. Over the next four years they went on to record a further eight albums together, The Touch of Your Lips (December 1960), the 3 LP set The Nat King Cole Story (March 1961), Nat King Cole Sings, George Shearing Plays (December 1961), More Cole Espanol (March 1962), Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer (May 1963), My Fair Lady (September 1963), I Don't Want to be Hurt Anymore (May 1964) and L-O-V-E (December 1964).
From the foregoing it's easy to assess the quality of Nat and Ralph's partnership - many of these albums were big sellers when originally issued and are still selling today on compact disc. All except Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer have been issued in this format, with The Touch of Your Lips and I Don't Want to be Hurt Anymore being issued in EMI's current "Twofer" series.
But it wasn't just the albums that sold. Nat and Ralph produced some great singles, many of them hits, the most noted probably being Let There be Love. Other successful singles included That Sunday That Summer, The Right Thing to Say, People, The Ballad of Cat Ballou, Marnie, Wanderlust, Take a Fool's Advice and Look no Further to name just a few.
My own particular favourites would include Step Right Up, You'll See, Silver Bird and More and More of Your Amor, but if I could pick one track to hear right now it would be their unreleased version, recorded at their second session in March 1960, of the song Nat was to remake with Gordon Jenkins - Someone to Tell it to. It may be as different and as enjoyable as the pre-Billy May original version of Can't I by Dave Cavanaugh.
Apart from conducting for Nat Ralph also accompanied other well-known artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Pat Boone and Roger Williams, but it is his work for the film and TV screens that has been his forte - on TV he has scored shows for Red Skelton, Roy Rogers and long-running series like I Love Lucy and Bonanza. On the motion picture scene he has scored the music for over 50 films.
In spite of all his achievements to many people the name of Ralph Carmichael is largely unknown but we can see from his work with Nat King Cole that he is a truly great talent and it's fitting that Nat's last recording - No Other Heart - was recorded under the baton of Ralph Carmichael.
Intune Magazine
After ten years of inaugurating and publishing Intune magazine, Colin Morgan has handed over the reins to Gerry Stonestreet.
Grateful thanks are due to Colin for the past and best wishes to Gerry for the future.
The new address for Intune is
For those who don't know about the magazine, Intune is the only magazine to cater for our type of music with news and reviews of the latest CDs including track listings, original articles and much more in its 40 pages.
Quiz no. 15
What do the following recordings by Nat King Cole have in common?
1. Because of Rain 2. For a Moment of Your Time 3. Send for Me 4. More 5. The Christmas Song 6. Let's Face the Music and Dance 7. When I Fall in Love 8. Silent Night
Answer to Quiz no. 14 - All songs are on Nat's new video An Evening with Nat King Cole.
The Chronological Nat King Cole - 1947
The ninth CD in this French issue on the Classics label (no 1031) gives us 23 tracks from 1947. Included are 14 vocals by Nat, all with the Trio, and 9 instrumentals featuring Nat on piano. On the vocal front there are well-known songs such as When I take my Sugar to Tea, There I've Said It Again, Makin' Whoopee and I'll String Along with You. Together with more difficult songs to find such as Now He Tells Me, I never had a Chance and It's Easy to See the Trouble with Me is You. The instrumental tracks include rarities like Rhumba Azul and Blues in my Shower along with the 4 tracks which comprised Side 2 of the 10" LP Nat King Cole at the Piano (Capitol LC 6593), namely Poor Butterfly, These Foolish Things, Moonlight in Vermont and I'll never be the Same. We may have to wait some time for the 4 tracks on Side 1 of this LP to appear in this CD series because they weren't recorded until five years later in 1952!
All these tracks feature Oscar Moore on Guitar and Johnny Miller on Bass and are Capitol recordings covering a six-week period (3 July 1947 to 13 August 1947) in the most prolific recording timescale of Nat's career when because of the forthcoming musicians ban, the record companies were stockpiling to allow them to keep issuing records during the imposed layoff.
This was the time when Capitol and Nat recorded Nature Boy and kept it under wraps until the ban started so that other artists couldn't record it, thereby giving Nat a clear field when it was issued after the ban started. Nature Boy isn't on the CD but it should be on the next one along with Brahms' Lullaby, Old Macdonald had a Farm and the four duets with Johnny Mercer.
Even more important on the next issue in the series should be the two early ballads Nat recorded at the Nature Boy session with Frank De Vol namely There's a Train out for Dreamland and My Sleepy Head. These last two have never been issued on LP or CD anywhere except on the magnificent 18 CD / 27 LP Mosaic set.
Nat King Cole on Cassette
A few years ago a company called Golden Age issued a series of cassettes called The Nat King Cole Chronology. I now have over 40 of these cassettes for sale at £3.00 each (5 or more at £2.00 each) plus postage.
These cassettes are all different and each contains a portion of Nat's recorded output. If you're interested or looking for some particular recordings give me a phone call.
Recent CDs by Nat King Cole
Music at Sunset - Andre Previn and Nat King Cole
A German CD on the JA music label looks promising when you see the title and the question springs to mind "when did Nat record with Andre Previn?". The answer is, of course, "he didn't", and the connection between the two is in the word "sunset" because all the recordings on this CD were made for Eddie Laguna's Sunset label.
As far as Nat is concerned the CD duplicates the 5 tracks issued in the USA on the Monarch label in 1945, Monarch All Star Jazz - Volume One (10" LP no. Monarch LP 201)
The tracks were recorded on 9th July 1945, and the personnel consisted of Buddy Rich (drums), John Simmons (bass), Herbie Haymer (tenor), Charlie Shavers (trumpet) and Nat King Cole on piano, although because Nat was under contract to Capitol Records his name doesn't appear on the album, but as the pianist is described as "the king", "a great vocalist", "the leader of a world-famous trio" and "a name known throughout the world", it doesn't take a great deal of imagination to work out who the pianist was.
The five tracks are Black Market Stuff, Laguna Leap, I'll never be the same, Swingin' on Central (listed here as Singin' Central!) and Kicks (original issued on a double-sided 78 rpm single as Nat's Kick). But although only five tunes were cut there were actually twelve takes made, seven of them being alternate takes (3 of Black Market Stuff, 2 of Laguna Leap and one each of I'll never be the same and Swingin' on Central). All 12 of these takes were included in a 1990 CD issue, also by JA Music, but under the banner of their German subsidiary Black Lion (BLCD 760137), but if you don't have this CD and you want cleaned up versions of the original 78's/ LP this is ideal.
There are sixteen tracks on this CD, in addition to the five by Nat, Andre Previn has eleven all recorded between October 1945 and May 1946. It's not fair on Andre to have to share this CD with Nat because he comes in a poor second in the pianistic ability stakes. He finds himself particularly exposed on the five piano solos but he is helped out on the other tracks by the back up musicians which include Irving Ashby (guitar), Red Callendar (bass), Lee Young (drums), Buddy Childers and Howard McGhee (trumpets), Willie Smith (alto) and Vido Musso (tenor).
The recordings are not in chronological order but overall it's a good hour of swinging jazz at the bargain price of £5.
Videos Featuring Nat King Cole For Sale
The following videos have been donated to "KCC" to help the production costs:
The Nat King Cole Collection - Volume 1 Castle CMP 7011 (4 TV shows featuring Ella, Frankie Laine and Sammy Davis) £10
The Nat King Cole Collection - Volume 2 Castle CMP 7012 (4 TV shows featuring Peggy Lee, Julias La Rosa, Eartha Kitt and Pearl Bailey) £10
The Nat King Cole Collection - Volume 3 Castle CMP 7013 (4 TV shows featuring Johnny Mercer, Harry Belafonte and Mahalia Jackson) £10
The Snader Telescriptions 1950 - 52 Storyville VVD 895 (17 of Nat's soundies from the 1950's including Nature Boy, Always You, Home, That's my Girl, Because of Rain and Little Girl) £12
Harlem Roots Volume 4 Storyville VVD 868 (3 tracks by Nat - Got a Penny, Come to Baby do and I'm an Errand Boy for Rhythm) £10
Nat King Cole 1942-1945 Verve CPV 10232 (4 tracks by Nat - It's Easy to See the Trouble with Me is You, Come to Baby do, You call it Madness and I'm an Errand Boy for Rhythm, plus videos by the Mills Bros) £10
Nat, Matt and Dean
New UK EMI CD pack of 3 CDs features one CD each by Nat King Cole, Matt Monro and Dean Martin.
Nat's 15 tracks are pretty run of the mill with the most interesting being Because You're Mine, Let's Fall in Love, Your Cheatin' Heart and He'll Have to Go.
The package has two catalogue numbers - CD TR Box 344 and 7243 4 97192 2 4.
Price is £11.99.
Nat King Cole 1952 - 1961
New Giants of Jazz CD (53169) with the above title comprises 21 tracks featuring the last Trio consisting of John Collins (guitar) and Charlie Harris (bass) with some assistance on certain tracks by Lee Young and Buddy Shawker (drums) and Jack Costanzo (bongos) plus a few orchestral tracks.
The bulk of the album features Nat King Cole on piano with only 7 vocal tracks. Twelve of the piano items are the Penthouse Serenade LP in its entirety, recorded in 1952 and 1955, but without the alternate take of I Surrender Dear. Penthouse Serenade is a great album and features some top class playing by Nat but it has only just been released on CD by Capitol under its original title, and with the alternate take of I Surrender Dear and with the five previously unissued vocals by Nat and the Trio.
That's not to say this Giants of Jazz CD is not worth getting.
For example the other two piano items are the two piano items Nat recorded in September 1959 with the Dave Cavanaugh Orchestra and Chorus Watcha Gonna Do and In a Mellow Tone - both of which are not easy to find on vinyl let alone CD.
The 7 vocal tracks consist of the 6 tracks Nat recorded with the Trio in March 1961 for the Nat King Cole Story set including the also hard to find 4 minute version, in stereo, of Embraceable You with a superb guitar solo from the underrated John Collins. This version of Embraceable You is from the Mosaic issue and not the alternate take issued on the Capitol Gershwin compilation CD.
The remaining vocal track is the Trio's only version of Don't Let Your Eyes Go Shopping for Your Heart recorded in March 1950 although the CD notes state that it's the 1952 version with the Ray Anthony Orchestra. Both versions are rare but the earlier version on this CD is rarer due to only having been issued on the Mosaic set.
The CD has first class sound quality, informative sleeve notes and provides a good hour's enjoyment. Maria Cole
A story has been circulating that in 1965 a lady's car broke down on her way to see her sick husband in hospital and to the Good Samaritan who stopped, picked her up and took her to the hospital she sent a television set as a token of her appreciation. The husband in hospital was supposed to be Nat King Cole.
I have spoken to Maria Cole and she confirms that there is no truth in this story. Nat King Cole on Dinah Shore CD
A new UK 23 track CD on the Flare label (ROYCD 214) includes a 4 song sequence with Nat and Dinah singing on a USA Dinah Shore TV show aired on 29th December 1961. Nat sings Where did Everyone Go? and Nat and Dinah duet on Friendless Blues (listed as Feel so Low Down and Sad!) and Every Time I Feel the Spirit. The fourth track is The Story of Alice, a comedy song which Nat sings with Ginger Rogers, Dinah Shore and George Burns.
In addition to Dinah Shore there are guest appearances by Bob Hope, Jimmy Durante and Dean Martin.
The orchestra is Harry Zimmerman's and the quality is excellent Christmas Together
New UK CD issued by EMI for last Christmas teams Nat King Cole and Dean Martin for 22 Christmas songs under the title "Christmas Together" (EMI 7243 4 97538 2 2). Nat sings 16 songs and Dean sings 6 (all men are equal?). Ten of Nat's songs are taken from the original The Magic of Christmas album and the other six are from Nat's Christmas singles (Buon Natale, Frosty the Snowman and The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot, etc).
King Cole Snippets
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