Nat King Cole (1919-65) had such success, first as an influential jazz pianist and then as a ballad singer, that he completely overshadowed the careers of his brothers, each of whom were also singer-pianists. His youngest brother, Freddy Cole (1931-2020), only recorded one album before 1976 although he had an active career during his last four decades. The name of his 1990 CD I’m Not My Brother, I’m Me pointed out the difficulties encountered by each of the siblings. Eddie Cole (1910-70), who was nine years older than Nat, began as a bassist and used Nat on his first record date in 1936. He switched to piano and made some recordings with his wife singer-pianist Betty Cole (as the Two Hot Coles) in the 1950s but failed to create a lasting impression.
And then there was Ike Cole (1927-2001), the least known of the Coles. In the 1950s, he led a trio in Chicago. He recorded two obscure albums (Get A Load O’Cole and Ike Cole Sings) for the Bally and Promenade labels during 1957-58, a tribute to his recently deceased brother in 1966 for the Dee Gee label, and three other albums during 1967-72. He remained active into the early 1990s, playing keyboards on his niece Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable album and sometimes appearing on television. But at this point in time, few Nat King Cole fans remember him.
Producer Alan Eicher has reissued Cole’s first two albums plus six singles on the single CD I’d Know You Anywhere. The first set features him in a trio with the same piano-guitar-bass instrumentation as the King Cole Trio of the 1940s, the second has Cole performing with an orchestra conducted by Al Goodman, and the last four singles find him trying to break into the middle-of-the-road country market of the early 1960s. While he did not copy Nat Cole’s repertoire, his voice often sounds very close to Nat’s, particularly in his lower notes and on the ballads although occasionally he sounds distinctive. 30 selections are included on the 77-minute program so the performances are pretty concise but several offer some excellent Cole piano solos that show that he could play swinging jazz. Unfortunately the personnel is not included.
Among the highlights are such numbers as “Fools Rush In,” “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” “You’re Driving Me Crazy,” “Getting Some Fun Out Of Life,” “Who’s Sorry Now,” and “Don’t Worry About Me.” It is very good to have all of these performances available after so many years. The music is mostly quite enjoyable even if one can never forget that Nat King Cole came first.
Ike Cole • I’d Know You Anywhere
Jasmine JASMCD 2815
www.jasmine-records.co.uk
