Nat King Cole by Cabu

Today we tend to remember him only as the extraordinary velvet of a voice that capsized the hearts of young ladies and gentlemen. The forty-six pages gathered here, engraved between 1949 and 1956, at the height of his art, are timely to reveal in full light and in superb technical conditions, the various facets of the rich talent of Nat King Cole . An unforgettable singer of romances and ballads ( Unforgettable , Smile , Blue Gardenia ...), he also established himself as the most swinging of jazz singers, in trio ( Yes Sir , That's My Baby , Exactly Like You ) as well as supported by the impeccable big orchestras of Billy May , Nelson Riddle , Stan Kenton and Neal Hefti ( Walkin' My Baby Back Home , Lover Come Back To Me ).

However, we can never emphasize enough the eminent place he occupies in the history of jazz piano . He is heard on the keyboard in many of the sung tracks, while ten pieces are played from start to finish on the piano by this elegant and inspired master to whom countless pianists, from Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans to Erroll Garner , Ahmad Jamal and Wynton Kelly ... Sorry!