NAT "KING" COLE & GEORGE SHEARING: Nat sings, Shearing plays

NAT "KING" COLE & GEORGE SHEARING
Apesar de ter sido um pianista de jazz notável, Nat "King" Cole, gradativamente, se afastou do piano, para dedicar-se, exclusivamente, ao ofício de cantar. George Shearing, por seu turno, adorava acompanhar cantores(as) e, com eles & elas (Nat K. Cole, Mel Torme, Michael Feinstein, John Pizzarelli, Peggy Lee, Dakota Staton, Carmen McRae, Nancy Wilson, etc.) gravou uma série de LP´s, que serão postados aqui no blog, aos poucos.  
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ALBUM REVIEW
As I listened to this CD, in the back of my mind I kept wishing that it were Nat King Cole playing such excellent jazz piano. He certainly was capable. But his career as a singer took off like a jet, and his turns as a musician became fewer and fewer. However, Cole had a reputation for trying new things and liked collaborating with different artists to come up with something fresh and interesting. This CD is just one of the rewards of Cole's versatility. George Shearing is an excellent jazz pianist that has a style amazingly similar to Nat Cole's. And it's no wonder -- they both have credited ivory tinklers Earl Hines, Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson as their influences. Shearing and his Quintet (especially Emil Richards on vibes) bring the songs here to life with their intimate, jazzy and bluesy nuances...a perfect background for Cole's smoky baritone. Nat swings and seduces you on every irresistable track, and even gets on the Latin tip ("The Game Of Love"). I am totally feeling these particular tracks: "September Song," "Beautiful Friendship," "Pick Yourself Up," "Azure-Te," "Fly Me To The Moon", "Serenata", "There's A Lull In My Life" and "I Got It Bad." Cole also revisits a couple of tunes he originally did with the King Cole Trio, "Lost April" and "I'm Lost." But hands down, the best track on this CD has GOT to be "Let There Be Love"!! It is the epitome of COOL. It is no wonder that this song became so popular when Nat did it in 1962, that it became a permanent part of his act. These tracks sound just as fresh and new as if they were recorded
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MINHA OPINIÃO
A reunião de dois monstros sagrados, elegantes e classudos como só eles, tinha que ser OURO EM PÓ, com especial destaque para duas das pérolas mais brilhantes desse colar: "Serenata" e "Everything happens to me". 
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NAT "KING" COLE &  GEORGE SHEARING: Nat sings, Shearing plays

PERSONNEL:
Nat Cole (vocals)
Ralph Carmichael (conductor)
Al Hendrickson (guitar)
Paul Horn, Wilbur Schwartz, Justin Gordon (flute, piccolo)
Lloyd Ulyate (trombone)
George Shearing (piano)
Emil Richards (vibraphone)
Al McKibbon (bass)
Shelly Manne (drums)
Carlos Vidal (congas)
Nick Martinez, Luis Miranda (percussion).

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
01. September Song
02. Pick Yourself Up
03. I Got It Bad
04. Let There Be Love
05. Azure-Te
06. Lost April
07. A Beautiful Friendship
08. Fly Me to the Moon
09. Serenata
10. I'm Lost
11. There's a Lull in My Life
12. Don't Go
13. Everything Happens to Me
14. The Game of Love
15. Guess I'll Go Back Home