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Crotchet

"The King Cole Trio Transcriptions Vol.3: 1939 Featuring Pauline & Her Perils NAXOS JAZZ LEGENDS 8.120629

1. Georgie Porgie
2. The Limp
3. Snug As a Bug in a Rug
4. Liebstraum
5. Fidgety Joe
6. Two Against One
7. Some Like it Hot
8. I Like to Riff
9. Crazy Rhythm
10. Moonglow
11. Don’t Let That Moon Get Away
12. My Blue Heaven
13. I Was Doing All Right
14. I Can’t Get Started
15. Old Man Moon
16. Carry Me Back to Old Virginny
17. Moon Song
18. Baby Won’t You Please Come Home
19. Sweet Lorraine
20. Rosetta

Nat King Cole Trio…..All tracks

Nat King Cole- Piano, Celeste, Vocals
Oscar Moore – Guitar, Vocals
Wesley Prince – Bass, Vocals

Pauline & Her Perils……tracks 9 to 16

Pauline Byrns, Vince Degan, Bill Seckler, Howard Hudson, Mack MacLean – vocals

Transcription Companies syndicated their recordings to radio stations and presumably received their revenue from airtime. The artists, we assume were paid a straight fee for making the recordings in the first place. The origin of these recordings is in this system.

Nat Cole was 22 when these recordings were made and as we can hear, he was already a superb pianist. The sleeve suggests a left hand in Basie style and the right like Earl Hines. It was not long after this however that he could outshine both stars, to become one of the most influential pianists in jazz. This he followed up by becoming even more famous as a vocalist!

Considering that these recordings are 64 years old, they still have a fresh and vibrant feel about them, there can be no doubt that some extremely sensitive re-mastering has taken place. The trio plays together well and the precision in the vocals is good as well.

Tracks 9 to 16 feature Pauline & Her Perils who are new to me, I know nothing about them, and the sleeve note doesn’t even mention them. They are a very polished vocal group and must have been considered ‘hip’ in 1939. The trio makes a super job of accompanying them.

Nat Cole was a one off who has been sadly missed since his untimely death in 1965, but his music has lived on. His records are still played regularly on request shows and by presenters of quality music on radio. His daughter Natalie Cole is also a superb singer; her latest album ‘Ask a Woman who Knows’ is a real joy.

The album on the budget priced Naxos label is a worthwhile addition to the Nat Cole treasure chest that will be welcomed by his many fans.

Does anyone reading this know anything about Pauline & Her Perils? I would be interested to know more about them.

Don Mather

 

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