When you want to stump someone on a “Blindfold Test,” Freddy Cole is the singer of choice. I play him all the time in my office, and visitors always say, “It kind of sounds like Nat Cole, but with a sandied edge. Who is this guy?!?”
Younger brother Cole has spent an entire career answering that question, with this latest release with his working team of John di Martino/p, Randy Napoleon/g, Elias Bailey/b, Quentin Baxter/dr and guest Joel Frahm/ts-ss for a mix of standards and hip obscurities.
I don’t know where Cole finds them, but he digs up arcane pieces such as “I’ll Always Leave the door a Little Open” or “First Began” and give them such hip and late night moody grooves that you’ll wonder “ How come I’ve never heard this before?” The mix of Cole’s sorghum rich and relaxed voice with Frahm’s breathy tenor creates smoky moods on the title track and the gorgeous Billy Strayhorn tune “Love Like This Can’t Last” like an embodiment of the latter’s “Lush Life.” Cole and Bailey do wonders with “They Didn’t Believe Me” while Napoleon gives an Old World touch to Randy Newman’s “Marie.” This guy is a real joy, and I wouldn’t take his catalogue or concert performances for granted if I were you.
High Note Records