Nat King Cole, The Forgotten 1949 Carnegie Hall Concert (Hep).
Cole’s trio and the Woody Herman Second Herd teamed up for a successful concert tour, with Carnegie Hall a high spot. It was recorded but never before issued. Now, here it is, with Cole’s singing and piano playing at a high level. He included many of his famous numbers“Sweet Lorraine,†“Lush Life,†Body and Soul,†“Bop Kick†among themand a terrific new piece called “Cuba Libre†by the trio and bongoist Jack Costanzo. Herman’s band shows up only on a supercharged “More Moon.†It ends the CD so powerfully that we can hope there is more Herman from this occasion.