Formerly issued on the Muse label and reissued on its successor, 32 Jazz, song stylist
Freddy Cole finds himself in good company with producer
Houston Person on tenor sax;
Cecil Bridgewater;
Steve Turre; and a fine rhythm section of
Kenny Washington,
Jerry Byrd, and
Tom Hubbard.
Cole provides his own piano accompaniment. Recorded in 1993, the play list is comprised of familiar standards and less well-known material, including two by
Cole. Not all the cuts have
Cole singing. The opening track, "Easy to Love," is an instrumental with everybody getting a chance to solo. There are few bars during the bridge where
Cole's piano and the guitar of
Jerry Byrd get a sound similar to that which
Nat King Cole created with his guitar player,
Oscar Moore. Much is written trying to find variations between this
Cole and brother
Nat. But on such tunes as "This Is the Life," the similarities in tone, timbre, and mannerisms, rather than differences, are underscored. On this cut,
Bridgewater's trumpet weaves in and out with
Cole's vocalizing, both on top of
Washington's drums. In contrast,
Freddy Cole's voice takes on a deeper hue than his brother's on "Sweet Beginnings," with
Bridgewater's trumpet once more the instrumental counterpart. The melodious trombone of
Steve Turre is important to making "Don't Change Your Mind About Me" one of the album's more engaging tracks. Although it's virtually impossible to avoid comparisons with his more famous big brother,
Freddy Cole's work stands on its merits as his successful career both as recording and performing artist has settled. This is another fine effort and is recommended.