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 guitaristOscar Mooreand 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'sEarl Hines-derived, hornlike pianisms; Moore's elegant, twangy chords; and Miller's sturdy, walking bass lines swingDuke 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, includingDiana Krall,Ahmad Jamal, andMonty Alexander.--Eugene Holley Jr.