Penthouse Serenade
The piano-led small group sessions onPenthouse Serenadebear little resemblance to Cole's trio work. Blues is hardly a factor here, and while his fleet fingers owe a debt to jazz, it's jazz of the most polite sort. The dozen instrumentals (from 1952 and 1955) are like good appetizers, though--while hardly filling, they're fun to nosh on. Seven vocal tracks, including versions of "Too Young" and "Unforgettable," appear as bonus tracks to the '50s LP.--Rickey Wright