King was Nat Cole's nickname. Lots of jazz men during the early decades had them and many seemed to be based upon European aristocracy. Others included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Earl Hines ... You might think Nat Cole earned his name as arguably the world's most popular singer. You would be wrong. What is less well known is that Nat Cole was a jazz pianist (just like the other aristocrats I've named!)and some would argue that his greatest work was during his early life in a trio with double bass and guitar.
Unlike Little Bootswho moves backwards and forwards between informal and formal presentations of her music, Nat Cole showed a progression through his career. Nat King Cole became famous later when he lost the trio and focused on singing. He was immensely successful.
Many listeners to jazz view this progression with dismay. A sure sign of loss of the jazz spirit is the introduction of strings! Listen to Fly Me To the Moon to see what I mean. This video includes the words, so you can sing along! In my next post in this series, there will be another version of this song, by way of contrast.
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