NAT "KING" COLE - Year by Year - Part 2

...writing should be getting easier after this. I hope!

September 21st 1956

Caravan
The Lonely One
Blame It On My Youth
What Is There To Say

This is so exciting. Mm! Besides memorable tunes with distinct melody and time suited for the ideal treatment they receive from a cast of first rate and distinctive musicians, we also find that more than a few tracks feature a distinct feel that enhances the pleasure of the listen further still. Such is the bliss of After Midnight, and perhaps nowhere is the latter quality more keen than the sublime rendition of Caravan.

Originally a Duke Ellington number written in 1936 by Duke and one Juan Tizol, who was then playing the valve trombone in Duke's famed Orchestra, the frankly picturesque Caravan evokes a romantic situation between two folks in a stereotypical North African caravan as perhaps imagined by a Westerner in the nineteenth or twentieth century. As is typical of Duke's music inspired by exotic notions, the inspiration was genuine and there's nothing remotely negative about the result. 62 years on, it remains a delightful ride.

Already a "golden oldie" by the time of the After Midnight project, Caravan had enjoyed long standing popularity in uncounted covers and renditions on records and in concert performed in a bewildering array of styles, including a definitive original recording featuring Juan and more than a few others of enduring excellence. But the guests of the Nat King Cole Trio for this session were a bongo player, Jack Costanzo, and one Juan Tizol. So it seems that perhaps the most famed number to be associated with Juan, Caravan, was an obvious choice to consider covering. Lucky we are that no one shied from the prospect of tackling the well-used song and didn't settle for a perfunctory reading, as they proceeded to cut what easily contends for the title of greatest cover of Caravan ever made, with or without Juan's involvement.

Juan's involvement here is every bit as one might hope, the perfect fellow on the ideal instrument playing the primary melody and integrated into the work so it's as much the cloth this is woven into as it is accompaniment. I might've preferred more solo space for him, but there are at least two good reasons that's not the case. Another extended solo would have come at the expense of the succinct structure that's such an asset to this number, and it could have made his presence more conspicuous as an instrumentalist perhaps at the cost of the seamless musical foundation his part provides.

Nat's vocal is at once romantic and vivacious. His piano solo is just as engaged, running in its fitful bucking patterns as a curved wave in the art of a Moroccan tile block and not unlike a jaunt on the back of the funkiest camel from a nocturnal caravan ever imagined on the back of a matchbook that he might've picked up in some lounge. It's over way, way, way too soon! But then, the pacing not only fits a certain breathless quality of the piece, its also way too easy for the listener to think that even he could've continued that masterful line any further.

Many covers of Caravan have their emphasis on the sinuous melody, usually atop a semi-exotic beating rhythm. This cover serves rhythm as lavishly as it does melody. The parts and playing of on bass couldn't be more ideal at every turn. Far from being an exotic effect, Costanzo's bongos are beautifully and elaborately employed in concert with the drums throughout a surprisingly varied and quite perceptively structured arrangement. Speaking of arrangement, there must have been plenty of collaboration, but as the arranger of Trio material in the past, much of this may be Nat's work. If so it's among his finest, capping many years of numerous elegantly swingin' examples.

Mood and atmosphere hangs in the air around the prosaic still life about The Lonely One, like a quiet bayou trap along the river of Nature Boy. There's something of the piano solo in Nature Boy in Nat's piano solo here as well, but its primary influence is clearly Juan's elegant preceding solo. It's amazing how somber maracas and bongos can be; not exactly the instruments that might spring to mind when you're thinking "somber ballad" but here they are as though dragging along on an ironic funeral march, the soundtrack for the wallflower.

Bongos, by way of Jack Costanzo, were an addition to the Trio for a period in its history, and were not universally appreciated as a particular asset as such. It's been noted elsewhere that some feel the downside to the bongos were a "clip clop" effect that pinned down that singular effect the Trio offered which might be described as rhythm bucking in the clouds. Still, it's a lithe instrument, much less invasive in that respect than drums would tend to be, and Costanzo is a master of the bongo. They did manage to use the bongo to positive effect on a number of occasions, the preceding Caravan among them. Here unfortunately it kinda drags along (or lopes, as its non-fans might say), but as mentioned they make it work.

We return to the most sympathetic brushwork of Lee Young on drums here, while Costanzo packs up his kit and sits the rest out. Juan continues in a supportive role but does take some solo turns as well.

Blame It On My Youth is another rather humbling self-assessment not entirely unlike You're Looking At Me. The underlying theme that this is an affecting moment on that road to maturity is painfully clear, but it's expressed in Nat's innately gentle way and is all the more affecting for it. This time it's more interwoven in the disillusioning lessons from the failure of a romantic relationship, or a hoped for one discovered to be so much self-delusion as much as deception anyway. Rather cheerful to contemplate, just like The Lonely One. And You're Looking At Me from the previous session. Then there's When I Grow Too Old To Dream in the next session. Given the point in his life and career this occurs, it may be considered as a bit of a personal theme, contrasted as it is with the dizzy highs of other numbers. But such reflections and loneliness for some and delights for others would have been thought quite suited for the albums eventual After Midnight banner.

There was little of the classic Trio in this project to my ears, but by now new directions aren't automatically a bad thing. There are some bits of guitar behind Nat's vocals here which are definitely classic Trio in nature though, and Nat's self-accompaniment of his vocal on Blame It On My Youth has instances of what a wonderful talent he has at that, although it is appropriately even more lushly melodic and subtle than usual.

What is there to say about What Is There To Say? I find it pretty lame compared to the others here, the lesser of the package. Can't remember it to comment much, and I just played these recently... ah well. But it's not bad or anything. Spoiled by the accompanying tracks? Very likely. At any rate our musical friends pack up there, having produced some mighty sweet music.

 

Ben, I don't have similar favorites in my reading or viewing as I do in my listening. Listening seems to provide me with more 'repeatable' moments.

A favorite director from that era, for some of his films, Billy Wilder. For a writer of the period, Raymond Chandler, but he is just one among many. I always think of someone on another forum a few years ago. His handle was TheMusicalMarine and he was writing about a Nat King Cole piece. His signature was from Chandler:
______________
"I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance, I needed a vacation, I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun." Farewell, My Lovely (Chapter 34)

 

I think at the time of this CD release, "Smile Towns..." was unreleased. I'm not sure they had any idea they were including an unreleased alternate of "Smile." I recently asked Will Friedwald about it and it was news to him. In fact, on a few CD issues Capitol has included an alternate of "Fly Right," for instance, with no mention that it's not the master.

 

I think you are right.

I don't believe they had any idea they were working with an unreleased alternate of Smile.

I am so happy that you were able to discover this version! It is just exciting to think about -- that you found a new version of one of Nat's major songs.

Hats off to Jordan!


Dale

 

I was a bit wrong here. I went back and checked and found that the the CD of THE NKC STORY did not include the master take of "Unforgettable," the take that appeared on LP SWCL 1613. This version - the one on the CD reissue - is an alternate and is the same alternate take as that on the Bear Family set. I had thought, incorrectly, that the CD had the correct take, but apparently not.

 

i guess apilocole is now at the After Midnight release. I would venture to guess this would be the Hoffman Forum favorite around here, so I hope posting the album cover and track listing again, we'll get some in here who maybe are popping in but not joining into the discussion.

I am including the bonus material found on the Steve Hoffman vinyl reissue and also on the Bear Family Box, etc....

1. Just You And Me
2. Sweet Lorraine
3. Sometimes I'm Happy
4. Caravan
5. It's Only A Paper Moon
6. You're Looking At Me
7. Lonely One
8. Don't Let It Go To Your Head
9. I Know That You Know And You Know That I Know
10. Blame It On My Youth
11. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
12. Route 66
13. I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A Little Too Late)
14. You Can Depend On Me
15. What Is There To Say
16. Two Loves Have I
17. Candy
18. You're Looking At Me - alternate take

 

That reminds me that I wanted to revise my comment on an older LP issue of After Midnight. Earlier I had said:

After a few listens to that blue label Capitol LP from the seventies, I now think they added too much echo. My first listen at a low level wasn't enough to catch the cloying effect. Try to get the Steve Hoffman vinyl if you can.

 

Penthouse Serenade

Remastered by: Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray
Pure Pleasure Analogue PPAN T332 [2008]
This L.P. includes seven tracks not on the original 12 inch L.P. release. [one alternate plus the six trio tracks that were not in the Mosaic set.​

This is a joy to listen to. No digital artifacts of course! One of the first things I noticed was the impression that you are hearing better dynamics form Nat's piano than ever before. And the tone of the piano and Nat's 'pearly' touch come through so much better. It allowed me to concentrate on the sound of the musicians, not the 'sound' of the recording.

Now this type of 'penthouse' music doesn't appeal to everyone, but Nat provides a variety of tempos and on Little Girl, as Friedwald says he "abandons the cocktail concept altogether for straight ahead swing, worthy of Cole's first idol, Earl Hines, and perhaps even more imaginative than Teddy Wilson." It Could Happen to You is another winner. I'm really getting into the swing of Down By the Old Mill Stream and Somebody Loves Me. He makes the Mill stream song sound modern and I'll bet if you heard it alone you might not think of it as coming from the Penthouse album.

The notes are a repeat of the 1998 CD, but the label made the correction that this Once In a Blue Moon is from Burt Bacharach, not Jerome Kern. It is an adaption of Anton Rubenstein's Melody in F. It is not my favorite but the melody evidently appealed to Bacharach and to Cole. The notes say Bunny Shawker on drums for the '52 recordings but Jordan has already addressed that in Part I of the thread, as undoubtedly Lee Young on all Penthouse tracks. Also, the LP and the CD miss a couple of tracks that Jack Constanzo is on. You can add Rose Room and Somebody Loves Me with Constanzo. Mosaic got that right. The Mosaic versions of the Penthouse tracks are also superior to the 1998 CD in my view. I have the Mosaic LPs.

The mastering on the six vocal tracks recorded at MGM in New York, January 2, 1952, makes Nat's voice sound more sumptuous compared to the 1998 CD. It's interesting how Nat could sell Unforgettable and Walkin' My Baby Back Home as trio tracks without orchestras, but he does. The clarity is outstanding. How do you do that, Steve?

Something new on the release, on take 1, not the alternate, of I Surrender Dear we hear someone announce "14 thousand 206, take 1" while there are a couple of strums on the guitar. Whose voice would that be? Lee Gillette, the producer or John Palladino, the probable engineer?

 

Thank you for the review, Dale. I was getting anxious to hear your thoughts on the record. One I'm undoubtedly going to have break down on and buy.

Re the slate. That's most likely Gillette.The S & P Lp that Steve did (as well as a few others) had some bits of Gillette. Is it the same voice?

 

I am not sure. I will have to do a direct comparison later.

 

In case you see this on the newsstand, in the October 2008 issue of Jazziz magazine, there is an article about Capitol studios and the proposed condo construction nearby. Titled 'Capitol Offense' and written by Melissa Blazek, it quotes engineer Al Schmitt quite a bit, and says he spends about 200 days a year working at the Capitol Studios. Schmitt says “When you have a new artist come in and they see the pictures lining the halls of Nat Cole, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland and Dean Martin, they are just in awe. We have the same piano Nat used, we have Frankie’s microphone – I use it all the time.” He just recorded the Roy Hargrove Quintet jazz CD, Earfood, out on Emarcy. Below, Roy Hargrove, the echo chambers under construction, and the tower.

 

Jordan, I'm curious, do you recall which CDs have this alternate of "Fly Right"? I may have found one on the Legends... CD, but wanted to know if I am on the right track.

Dale

 

The Legends of the 20th century disc, or some such title? Yeah, that's where I first heard it. You've got good ears, Dale.

I think Capitol may have also included it on the Rockin Boppin and Blues disc from a few years ago. Don't have it so I can't say, but seem to recall seeing that around here.

 

Thanks, Jordan. Ah, I had forgotten that Straighten Up and Fly Right was on the 2000 CD Nat King Cole Rockin’ Boppin’ & Blues. Yes it is on the Rockin’ CD.

Just a heads up for interested collectors, the sound on the remastered 2000 Rockin’ Boppin’ & Blues is noticeably better. I like it. The sound on the 1999 Nat King Cole Legends of the 20th Century is uniformly bad. Go figure. (I have a negative sound review of the Legends CD that I will post later this evening.) In fact I just purchased both MP3 versions from Amazon of the alternate version Straighten Up and Fly Right from each of these albums, and you can even hear the difference on the MP3s! If you want the best sounding MP3 version of this alternate, then go to the page for album Nat King Cole Rockin’ Boppin’ & Blues.

ROCKIN' BOPPIN' & BLUES

Here is Clark's posted picture of the cover.

 

Nat King Cole: Legends of the 20th Century; Original Recordings. 1999

Warning! This CD may be hazardous to your ears. That may seem harsh, but that is just the word I would use to describe the sound: harsh. My copy is the UK version EMI 7243522817 2 5. I don't know if there was a U.S. version, but I do not intend to seek it out.

This is an elegant package. It is made in a hardcover book (like a little Golden Book) with the CD in an attached sleeve sort of like an old 78 album. Compiled and produced by: Carole Cole, Bob Hyde and Paul Atkinson. Sleeve notes and chronology: Dick LaPalm. 24-Bit Digitally Remastered by Bob Norberg.

I don't want to beat a dead horse (or should I say a deaf horse) but to me this may be the nadir of Bob Norberg's CD output. How did he make the treble so irritating? How did he ruin the soundstage? How did he make the bass sound tubby on nearly all the tracks? The sibilance is outstanding. There are only three tracks where I found the sound more listenable: Oh, Mary Don't You Weep, Ramblin' Rose, and When I Fall In Love. The sound makes me want one of those CD players that have a phase switch where I could try reversing the phase. And yet the next year, on the Rockin' Boppin' & Blues CD the same engineer provided much better and more likeable sound.

The only reason I am mentioning this CD is that it has on the first track an alternate version of the original Straighten Up and Fly Right.

You will know from the very first phrase. Nat and Oscar start it in unison, piano & guitar. It is a riff opening. On the master, they play 8 notes 3 times. (The second time has two 'different' notes.)

Now count the notes on the opening of Straighten Up and Fly Right on Rockin' Boppin' & Blues or if you have it Legends of the 20th Century. Here there only 6 notes in the riff, repeated 3 times.

There are other differences and there may even be a minor clinker -- no matter, I am enjoying the alternate.

 

Another amazing essay on one of my very favorite Nat King Cole songs of all time. Apileocole blends together graceful, perceptive writing with deep knowledge of the song and the players on this one. Outstanding stuff. If you're a Nat King Cole fan, I think there's no better place in the whole world to be than this spot. Thanks.

 

Thanks, DJ, for posting the track list for this great album.

 

at the rate we're going...should be in a couple more years.....

 

Hey, Steve's here. Welcome. I too look forward to Love is the Thing. Your mastering on that album puts everything else in the shade.

 

I love this album. It's so mellow that it's great to go to sleep to on CD. Classy.​

 

Yes, this is a nice alternate of this song. It's not as good, imho, as the released version, but still solid. I like it fine. It's nice to hear one of my top ten NKC songs in a new version. It was a pleasure to discover this 7 or so years ago.

 

Now that would make my day!