... CD

Includes cuts pulled from radio transcriptions in 1938 through 1950, plus a Los Angeles concert in 1949. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great small club performance from Nat King Cole – of the sort he never really recorded for Capitol Records, even though this set is right in the middle of his glory days on the label! In some ways, the set hearkens back to Nat's roots – maybe no surprise, as he's back in Chicago – and the combo here features John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, and Lee Young on drums – working with Cole to offer up some nicely lean versions of tunes you might know from his fuller, more polished studio versions. The set's a great reminder that at the core, even during the big years, Nat was still a jazzman at heart – as you'll hear on tunes that include "Funny", "Straighten Up & Fly Right", "Nature Boy", "Route 66", "This Can't Be Love", "Somewhere Along The Way", "Mona Lisa/Too Young", "Exactly Like You", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Calypso Blues". CD

A really great collection – one that offers up the earliest work by Nat King Cole – before he even recorded for Decca or Capitol! The music here was all recorded in Hollywood, when Nat was fresh on the scene – and a number of titles were never issued at all! The group features Oscar Moore on guitar and Wesley Prince on bass – and some tracks have extra vocals from Maxine Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

Features Oscar Moore on guitar, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. Tracks include "Indiana", "Man I Love", "I Cover The Waterfront", "Somebody Loves Me", and "Lester Leaps In". CD

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 7-inch, Vinyl record

Titles include "Nature Boy", "Mona Lisa", "Too Young", "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup", "All Over The World", and "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days Of Summer" – 20 tracks total. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "When Your Lover Has Gone", "These Foolish Things", "Just For The Fun Of It", "The Party's Over", and "The Song Is Ended" – 15 tracks in all with wonderful Billy May arrangements! CD

20 years of greatness – starting with early trio material by Nat King Cole, right up through his sublime mature recordings for Capitol in the later years! 100 tracks in all! CD

Three albums' worth of Nat King Cole's magical recordings for Capitol! LP, Vinyl record album

With 38 tracks including "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "Sweet Lorraine", "It's Only a Paper Moon", "Nature Boy", "Lush Life", "Blue Gardenia", "Stardust", "The Sand and the Sea", and more. CD

Titles include "Unforgettable", "Mona Lisa", "Too Young", "Red Sails In The Sunset", "Portrait Of Jennie", and more. 7-inch, Vinyl record

24 classic tracks from Nat Cole's years on Capitol Records! CD

A beautiful set by Nat King Cole joined by conductor/bandleader Quincy Jones and his Big Band – performing live in Zurich on May 1, 1960 – and what an impeccable performance it is! Quincy was touring with a pretty amazing line-up in his Big Band at this point – with Benny Bailey, Jimmy Cleveland, Melba Liston, Phil Woods, Sahib Shihab, Joe Harris and more – and they kick off the set with a couple gentler numbers before swinging more heavily on a couple, then introduce Nat – who's voice is in perfect form here. He sings his hits with the big band, some additional strings and a pared down trio format for a few – so we really get a broad representation of what these consummate performers can do in a number of settings, all in one concert, to boot. Wonderful stuff – released for the first time ever! Titles include "Moanin'", The Midnight Sun Will Never Set", "Airmail Special", "Unforgettable", "Sweet Lorraine", "Tea For Two", "Madrid", "The Phantom Blues", "Route 66", "Joe Turner's Blues", "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set" and more. Also includes a 5 minute interview with Nat. CD

A great album, and one in which Nat King Cole returns to his roots as a jazz singer! The session differs greatly from Nat's other schmaltzy ones from the time, and it features a very "after midnight" sound – with Nat playing and singing backed only by a small combo that includes jazz greats like Harry Edison, Willie Smith, Jual Tizol, and Jack Costanzo. Plus, if that's not enough, this fab CD adds a whopping batch of extra tracks to the original LP – for a total of 18 beauties that sound perfect on a warm summer night, long after the sun has gone down. Titles include "Caravan", "Candy", "What Is There To Say", "You're Looking At Me", and "Blame It On My Youth". Great stuff! CD

... CD

... CD

With 22 tracks including "Send For Me", "Unforgettable", "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66", "Ramblin' Rose", "If I May", and "Nature Boy". CD

Rare unrelased recordings by the legendary Nat King Cole Trio! Forget all the soppy pop stuff you've heard a million times – this is the real deal, the kind of stuff that got Nat noticed in the first place, and the type of material that he was playing for LA audiences in the immediate postwar years. The trio features the great Oscar Moore on guitar, plus Johnny Miller on bass and Nat on piano and vocals. Tracks include "Everyone Is Saying Hello Again", "I Found A New Baby", "My Sugar Is So Refined", "I'm Through With Love", "Oh, But I Do", and "I You Can't Smile & Say Yes". CD

A nice little session that's one of Nat's last great vocal albums – thanks to some solid jazz backing by George Shearing. Shearing's group here is a super-hip west coast Latin one, with Emil Richards on vibes, Al Hendrickson on guitar, Al McKibbon on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. Most tracks have them augmented by some larger backings by Ralph Carmichael – which creates this dreamy jazzy pillow for Nat to sing over. Cole's voice is still super-sweet and super-sexy, and the record is a good mix of ballads and more jazzy material. Titles include "Lost April", "Azure-Te", "September Song", "Don't Go", "There's A Lull In My Life", and "Serenata". Plus, the CD includes 3 bonus tracks not on the original album! CD

A nice little session that's one of Nat's last great vocal albums – thanks to some solid jazz backing by George Shearing. Shearing's group here is a super-hip west coast Latin one, with Emil Richards on vibes, Al Hendrickson on guitar, Al McKibbon on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. Most tracks have them augmented by some larger backings by Ralph Carmichael – which creates this dreamy jazzy pillow for Nat to sing over. Cole's voice is still super-sweet and super-sexy, and the record is a good mix of ballads and more jazzy material. Titles include "Lost April", "Azure-Te", "September Song", "Don't Go", "There's A Lull In My Life", and "Serenata". Plus, the CD includes 3 bonus tracks not on the original album! CD

With 36 tracks including "Straighten Up and Fly Right", "Sweet Lorraine", "It's Only a Paper Moon", "Nature Boy", "Lush Life", "Blue Gardenia", "Stardust", "The Sand and the Sea", and more. CD

Not vocals, but Nat on piano – over orchestrations by Nelson Riddle! LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful stuff by Nat – truly one of his greatest Capitol vocal albums, and set to great arrangements by Nelson Riddle, very much in a classic mode. Tracks include heartbreakers like "Dinner For One, James", "There Will Never Be Another You", and "There Goes My Heart" – plus more lively standards like "Almost Like Being In Love", "This Can't Be Love", and "Let's Fall In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful stuff by Nat – truly one of his greatest Capitol vocal albums, and set to great arrangements by Nelson Riddle, very much in a classic mode. Tracks include heartbreakers like "Dinner For One, James", "There Will Never Be Another You", and "There Goes My Heart" – plus more lively standards like "Almost Like Being In Love", "This Can't Be Love", and "Let's Fall In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

With 78 tracks on 5 CDs including "Little Joe From Chicago", "Sweet Lorraine", "Rhythm Sam", "Besame Mucho", "Boogie A La King", "The Man I Love", "Wild Goose Chase", "Mexico Joe", and "A Pile O'Cole". CD

Arranged and conducted by Gordon Jenkins. CD

It's been nearly 20 years since Natalie Cole first sang duets with her father through the magic of technology – so the time's long overdue to throw a host of other talents into the mix! The style here is a bit like the Verve Remixed albums – in that the record takes older classics by Nat from the 40s and 50s, and updates them strongly with contributions from a host of contemporary mixers and producers. However, there's also a key difference here in that the album also features a fair bit of extra vocals too – from Bebel Gilberto, Natalie Cole, Nas, The Roots, and Izza Kizza – all of whom help to make the album a bit more than the simple remix effort you might expect. Nat's own vocals are a bit buried in the mix at times, but that's no problem if you're eager to hear more from the younger generation – or re:generation, as the case may be! Titles include "Day In Day Out" with Cut Chemist, "Straighten Up & Fly Right" with Will I Am & Natalie Cole, "Lush Life" with Cee-Lo Green, "Walkin My Baby Back Home" with The Roots, "The Game Of Love" with Salaam Remi & Nas, "El Choclo" with Brazilian Girls, "Pick Up" with Just Blaze, "Nature Boy" with TV On The Radio, and "Anytime Anyday Anywhere" with Amp Fiddler. CD

Nat King Cole as a leader and a sideman – incredible material from 1936-1946 – featuring the King Cole Trio, side work with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, Dexter Gordon, The Keynoters and The Lester Young Trio! There's a number of great tunes here with Nat singing, but also a whole bunch of recordings that shine a light on his impeccable work as a group piano player of the finest caliber, working as Nat King Cole and under some funny pseudonyms while he was recording hits for Capitol! Packaged stunningly, even by Hip-O Select Standards – essentially housing the CDs in a hardcover book of 31-pages with an essay by David Ritz, 7 3/8" square package with detailed session notes, and beautifully reproduced art work from original 78s and 10-inch LPs! Disc one features 17 tracks by the King Cole Trio with Nat singing and at the piano, with Oscar Moore on guitar and and Wesley Prince on bass: "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up", "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down", "Hit That Jive, Jack" and more. Disc one also includes 5 tracks with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, with Nat on piano, Eddie Cole on bass, Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on saxes and Jimmy Adams on drums:" Honey Hush" (with Eddie on vocals) plus an alternate take, "Thunder", "Stompin' At The Panama" and "(Bedtime) Sleep, Baby Sleep". Last up on disc one, four tracks by the Keynoters with Willie Smith on alto, Nat as Lord Calvert on piano, Red Callender on bass and Jackie Mills on drums: "The Way You Look Tonight", "My Old Flame" and more. Disc 2 is comprised of Jazz At The Philharmonic: Los Angeles, July 1944, with collective personal including Nat as Shorty Nadine on piano and singing on "Sweet Lorraine", Shorty Sherlock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor, Red Callender on bass, Lee Young on drums, and Carolyn Richards singing on "The Man I Love". Other titles include "Blues", "Tea For Two", "Rosetta", "Bugle Call Rag", "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and more. Disc 3 starts with 1943/44 material by Dexter Gordon's group featuring Nat on piano, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Gordon on tenor, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass and Clifford Owens on drums: "I've Found A New Baby", "I Blowed And Gone" and more. That's followed by Lester Young Trio material of similar vintage with Nat as Aye Guy on piano, Young on Tenor and Buddy Rich on drums: "I Cover The Water Front", "The Man I Love", "Peg Of My Heart" and more. Last, but not least, Keynoters alternate takes including "The You You Look Tonight", "Airiness A La Nat" and "I can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

... CD

Rare gems from the early years of Nat King Cole at Capitol Records – pulled from the vault by the label, and issued on the occasion of Nat's 10th Anniversary at Capitol! The work often represents the best early sound of the King Cole Trio – that sweet blend of jazz and slightly bluesy modes that made the group a huge standout on the LA scene of the mid 40s – echoes of styles used by other classy R&B singers, but put together with the undeniable class and poise that Nat had right from the start. Other recordings are from the late 40s and early 50s – and have Capitol adding in a bit more in the way of backings – yet still without any of the overly-commercial styles that would hold Cole back a bit in later years. Titles include "Dream Of Me", "Too Soon", "Lovelight", "The Story Of My Wife", "Peaches", "But All I've Got Is Me", and "I'm An Errand Boy For Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

An important album by Nat King Cole – one that presented him in a live format, working in front of a very relaxed crowd at the Sands, expressing himself in a way that's quite different than some of his studio albums. The staid sound of Cole is opened up a bit here in the live set – a bit more relaxed, not necessarily improvised, but with a familiarity that shows Nat as more of an entertainer than you might expect. Titles include "Thou Swell", "Ballerina", "Funny (Not Much)", "I Wish You Love", "You Leave Me Breathless", and "Where Or When". CD

... CD

Some great little groovers from back in the day when Nat knew how to rock! The tracks aren't exactly raw R&B, but they're nice little groovers in the smoother LA mode that Nat helped develop in the postwar years on Capitol. Titles include "I'm An Errand Boy For The Blues", "Ooh, Kickeroonie", "Blues In My Shower", "Walkin", "Wee Baby Blues", "Mr Cole Won't Rock & Roll", "Chant Of The Blues", and "Frim Fram Sauce". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A nice moody one from Nat's later years – with arrangements by Gordon Jenkins, and unusual titles that include "No I Don't Want Her", "Where Did Everybody Go", "If Love Ain't There", "Someone To Tell It To", and "I Keep Goin Back To Joe's". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Babs", "Early Morning Blues", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Stop, The Red Light's On", "Honey Hush", "I Like To Riff", and "Hit The Ramp" – 22 tracks total. CD

A great collection of pre-Capitol recordings from the young Nat King Cole – very jazzy, and very groovy! CD

Nice Capitol album from the 50s, one that compiles instrumental sides by Nat King Cole and his tight little LA combo that forever changed the face of jazz and R&B. It's nice to hear Nat only on piano here – and backing by the great Oscar Moore on guitar is really a treat! Titles include "Rhumba Azul", "Prelude In C Sharp Minor", "Laugh! Cool Clown", "This Way Out", "Bop Kick", and "Easy Listenin' Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Marvin Gaye shows another wonderful side of his talents in the early Motown years – a classy, crooing approach that was perfect for this tribute to Nat King Cole! There's a great mix of jazz and soul going on here that's a bit different than some of Marvin's other Motown work of the 60s – and although some tracks are quite Cole-like at times, with a surprisingly accurate approximation of Nat's style – there's plenty others that almost seem to point towards the growing sophistication in Gaye's style that would emerge more strongly at the end of the 60s. Titles include "Straighten Up & Fly Right", "Nature Boy", "Unforgettable", "Send For Me", and a pretty great reading of "Calypso Blues", with a nice stepping groove! LP, Vinyl record album

Features Russell Malone on guitar and Paul Keller on bass – with Diana Krall on vocals and piano! CD

... CD

... CD

A second helping of songs from the Nat King Cole songbook – served up by Mark Murphy as one of his most sensitive albums of the time! Backings here are relatively spare on all tracks – just guitar on some numbers, bass on others, or keyboards on the rest – a very different style than Nat King Cole would have ever used, and a method that really helps Murphy transform these tunes! There's hardly any sort of Cole-like phrasings at all – and the album sparkles beautifully with Mark's well-though inflections on the lyrics. Titles include "Don't Let Your Eyes Go Shopping", "The End Of A Love Affair", "For All We Know", "Maybe You'll Be There", and "Portrait Of Jennie/Ruby". LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

One of David Murray's most ambitious projects ever – and that's saying a lot, given the depth of the 150-plus albums in his recording career! As you'd guess from the title, the set's a tribute to the En Espanol albums by Nat King Cole from the early 60s – and like those gems, Murray's project is a trans-cultural outing that brings together his jazz roots with Cuban musicians, additional strings, and an occasional vocalist – all recorded in studios from Argentina, to Portugal, to France! There's still a nicely unified feel to the whole record, though – and there should be, given how long Murray has kept this musical vision in his heart – and honestly, the whole thing is one of the most impressive things he's recorded in years – not only a great reminder that he's got deep respect for many jazz traditions, but also that he can inflect his horn with rich flavors with effortless ease. Titles include "Quizas Quizas Quizas", "Black Nat", "Piel Canela", "Cachito", "Aqui Se Habla En Amor", and "El Bodeguero". US version features the bonus cut "El Chocolo"! CD

A nice mid 70s 2LP set – one that features the complete first Jazz At The Philharmonic concert – with performances by Nat King Cole, Illinois Jacquet, Billie Holiday, Les Paul, and JJ Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from an overlooked guitar jazz talent of the 50s – a player who's best known for his 40s stints in the Nat King Cole Trio and The Three Blazers, with brother Johnny Moore – but who steps out here on his own in a straight jazz setting! This is one of Oscar's first records – recorded for the rare Skylark label, with pianist Carl Perkins and bassist Joe Comfort – on titles that include "Roulette", "Kenya", and "Blues In B Flat". LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar pays tribute to Frank – but he uses his keys, not his voice – to come up with some great renditions of tunes from Sinatra's classic Capitol years! It's true that Peterson was known to vocalize on some sessions (most notably on his tribute to Nat King Cole, recorded a few years later) – but this album is straight trio grooving, with Peterson skipping soulfully over the keys of the piano, abetted by Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – in a wonderfully-crafted set of tunes that includes "Witchcraft", "Come Dance With Me", "You Make Me Feel So Young", "All Of Me", "It Happened In Monterey", and "The Tender Trap". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes tracks by Eddie Vinson, Ivory Joe Hunter, Nat King Cole, Jimmy Witherspoon, Hot Lips Page, Slim Gallard and more! 50 tracks total! CD

The last album ever recorded by LA vocalist Jesse Belvin – a stupendous session that showed where he might have headed, if not for the tragic auto accident that took his voice from us far too soon! The album has Jesse moving from the smooth R&B of earlier albums into a more sophisticated style that's a bit like that of Nat King Cole, but which is done here with traces of Sam Cooke as well. Orchestrations are by Marty Paich, who's great at both the swinging and mellow tunes – and titles include "Imagination", "I'll Buy You A Star", "Let There Be Love", "Blues In The Night", "It's All Right With Me", and "The Best Is Yet To Come". CD

The lovely and soulful Hadda Brooks was one of the great talents on the LA scene of the postwar years – a vocalist and pianist with a style that blended blues and jazz, in a manner that was like some of her male counterparts on the scene at the time, such as Nat King Cole or Charles Brown. Brooks' fame in the city was great, and even led to a few famous film appearances – but the sophistication of her work often kept it from cracking the charts as strongly as other R&B stars at the time. This excellent album is really the only one she ever issued – a strong set of tunes recorded for Crown/Modern in the 50s. Titles include "My Ideal", "Take Me", "The Thrill Is Gone", "How Do You Speak To An Angel", "My Romance", and "Dream". CD