Soulful Saturday: Nat King Cole’s Timeless Resonance

Los Angeles, CA – The week of August 28, 1953, riding high on the charts, acclaimed pianist and singer Nat King Cole took to the stage at the Blue Note Chicago, Chi-town’s first integrated venue in his beloved Bronzeville neighborhood. Nearly five years had passed since Cole’s last appearance at the club. Upon returning to the city, he graced the stage for these intimate performances at least twice a day for a week.

 

Seventy years later, those historic, never-before-heard performances by Chicago’s adopted son’s week-long residency have been unearthed and meticulously restored for Nat King Cole Live at the Blue Note Chicago, out April 20 via Record Store Day and available worldwide at select independent music retailers. The collection will be available on 2LP with lacquers cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed-on audiophile-quality 180-gram vinyl at RTI and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, 2CD, and digital formats. For a list of participating stores, please visit: www.recordstoreday.com

The set boasts detailed notes about the meticulous restoration process from the original dual mono recordings by audio engineer and producer James Sàez, who spent weeks working on a sequence that followed Cole’s original set list, including transitions crowd participations, and introductions during the show. The packaging also includes an essay by acclaimed author and music critic Will Friedwald, a replica of the club’s original newsletter promoting Cole’s residency, and a number of rare archival photos of Cole in and around Chicago from the era.

 

Recorded by club owner Frank Holzfeind, who fatefully taped shows each night at the nation’s premier jazz venue for his enjoyment, Live at the Blue Note Chicago creates a personal connection, taking the listener back to Cole’s Chicago roots and showcasing a different side of him during a time when jazz was at the forefront of musical exploration and cultural expression. The collection features the unbridled raw energy of his trio—John Collins (guitar), Charlie Harris (bass), Lee Young (drums)—lead by Cole’s fierce piano playing, instantly recognizable velvety voice and sophisticated charm, intimately performing the timeless American songbook.

One of the most identifiable and memorable voices of the 20^th century, Nat King Cole recorded nearly 40 albums and over 150 singles that reached Billboard’s pop, R&B, and country charts and sold more than 50 million copies. As the first Black man to host a radio show and a national television show, NBC’s “The Nat King Cole Show,” he was a civil rights pioneer. Cole appeared in several films, including  St. Louis Blues and Cat Ballou. He won the Grammy® Award for Best Performance for “Midnight Flyer” and was honored with a Special Achievement Award from the Golden Globes. He was posthumously awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from NARAS and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.