Nat King Cole - The Incomparable Nat King Cole, Vols. 1 & 2 [DVD]

Description

Forty-seven complete songs in 100 minutes: at an average of little more than two minutes per tune, the hits come fast and furious in this black-and-white compilation drawn from Nat "King" Cole's 1957 NBC-TV series. That's a good thing, as the buttery-smooth Cole was certainly a distinctive pop vocalist, and the repertoire includes many of his best known numbers: "Unforgettable," "Mona Lisa," "The Christmas Song," and so on. But the best moments here come when he returns to his jazz roots, singing and/or playing (he was a fine pianist) with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, the Mills Brothers, trumpeter Roy Eldridge, pianist Oscar Peterson, saxophonists Stan Getz and the incomparable Coleman Hawkins, bassist Ray Brown, and others. If tunes like "Stompin' at the Savoy," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "Sweet Lorraine" don't get you swingin', then you better check your pulse-–to see if you still have one, that is. --Sam Graham