Nat King Cole Trio - Live at the Circle Room

We all know that in addition to Nat "King" Cole being one of the most important American vocalists, he was also one of the most influential jazz pianists of all time, as this unearthed air check from a live 1944 Milwaukee club date so brilliantly demonstrates. With his drumless trio consisting of the fleet-fingered guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Johnny Miller's supple support, Cole's Alabama-inflected, vibrant vocals on standards like the danceable uptempo "Oh, But I Do," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and the ballads "Sweet Lorraine" and "I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)" ring with an intimacy that was eclipsed in the more elaborate recordings of the '50s and '60s. Instrumentally, Cole's Earl Hines-derived, hornlike pianisms; Moore's elegant, twangy chords; and Miller's sturdy, walking bass lines swing Duke Ellington's "C-Jam Blues," Count Basie's "One O'Clock Jump," and the immortal "Sweet Georgia Brown" with a svelte simplicity that dances as well as trances, and reveals the vocal and instrumental roots of many jazz artists, including Diana Krall, Ahmad Jamal, and Monty Alexander. --Eugene Holley Jr. Amazon.com

A great CD to own!

I just got this CD and I have been playing it non-stop ever since. You feel as if you are right there with the Trio. You can even hear glasses clinking and the cash register ringing! I especially love their rendition of Count Basie's "One O' Clock Jump". Other tunes included here are "If You Can't Smile And Say Yes" (in which Nat updates some of the lyrics), "Oh But I Do", "Everyone Is Sayin' Hello Again" and two takes of "My Sugar Is So Refined", (could he have been singing about Maria, his soon to be wife?) on which Nat accidently mixes up one of the lyrics, but you don't care because the music is so good. The sound quality is excellent. A big complaint by people who go to concerts and say the music sounded different than on record will not have this problem here! What you heard in the studio is what you'll hear on this live CD. Just convinces me more than ever that the King Cole Trio was the best group to come out of the 1940s. Get it! July 30, 2000

Cole Trio-- LIVE!

This recording, released just this year, is a MUST HAVE if you love Nathanial Cole! Recorded from tapes of a '46 radio program, it gives you the TRUE feeling of "being there", has GREAT remastering, and incredible music! "My Sugar is so Refined" is a killer, as well as "Paper Moon." On this recording, you will also notice just how complicated Nat's piano arrangements were. Most singers play chords while they are singing, and at the break, get fancy. NOT NAT! He plays the MOST complicated minor chord accompaniment, WHILE he is singing as well. I feel he is truly ignored as a GREAT jazz pianist. This CD is a step back in time, which we ALL could use now. After just one listening, you feel that there was NO song these three fellas couldn't do. Perfection. November 8, 1999

More reviews at Amazon.com ...