Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli to Tribute Nat King Cole at The Blue Note, 1/12 & 13
Nat King Cole broke the pop barrier with his smoky, smooth vocals, stringing along a huge number of solid hits right after his first 'Straighten Up And Fly Right' soared up the charts in 1943. As a singer, he was called 'the best friend a song ever had,' but he was essentially a jazz performer at heart. Even those later tracks crafted for the pop charts belie a piano technique, vocal phrasings, and on-the-mark orchestration that are indebted to his early roots in jazz. Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli have crafted a tribute to the titan of fifties vocal pop, from his hits along with those singular tracks of sophisticated cool jazz that have influenced their own careers.
Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli to Tribute Nat King Cole at The Blue Note, 1/12 & 13
Nat King Cole broke the pop barrier with his smoky, smooth vocals, stringing along a huge number of solid hits right after his first 'Straighten Up And Fly Right' soared up the charts in 1943. As a singer, he was called 'the best friend a song ever had,' but he was essentially a jazz performer at heart. Even those later tracks crafted for the pop charts belie a piano technique, vocal phrasings, and on-the-mark orchestration that are indebted to his early roots in jazz. Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli have crafted a tribute to the titan of fifties vocal pop, from his hits along with those singular tracks of sophisticated cool jazz that have influenced their own careers.
