Nat King Cole was one of the first singing voices I remember being able to recognize as a kid (along with Luciano Pavarotti, Kenny Rogers and Neil Diamond. It was an interesting house...). Like most people, I thought of him as a crooner but later as I learned a little more about jazz, I realized that he was much more than a singer of pretty and romantic songs. As NPR reminded me this week:
He was the originator of the guitar/bass/piano trio format, played an extremely influential role as a pianist, broke down barriers between jazz and popular music and became a true multimedia superstar. He was also the first African-American to host a nationally broadcast television series.
And, yes, as a singer he was unforgettable.
In looking for the right song to share on what would have been his 91st birthday (For Sentimental Reasons? Orange-Coloured Sky? L-O-V-E?), I found this recording that I had not heard before. I think it's kind of perfect...
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