Capitol Records, Part IV (1958-1960)

Nat Cole (v), Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Bernie Glow, Charlie Shavers (t), Hank Jones (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro), Bob Arnold, Bill Brittan (eng)

Instrumentation

On "Careless Love" the five-man sax section is as follows: 1) flute/alto sax/clarinet; 2) flute/alto sax; 3) clarinet/tenor sax; 4) clarinet/tenor sax; 5) bass clarinet/baritone sax.

Nat Cole (v), Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Bernie Glow, Charlie Shavers (t), Hank Jones (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro), Bob Arnold, Bill Brittan (eng)

Instrumentation

On "St. Louis Blues" the four-man sax section is as follows: 1) alto sax/flute; 2) alto sax/flute; 3) tenor sax/clarinet; 4) baritone sax. Similar doubling likely occurred on the other titles as well.

Nat Cole (v), Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Bernie Glow, Charlie Shavers (t), Hank Jones (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro), Bob Arnold, Bill Brittan (eng)

Personnel

While the majority of the listed personnel for this and the preceding two sessions is speculative, there is good reason to believe the trumpet section is accurate. Edison is known to have been in New York at the time, and there are several spots throughout the album that sound very much like him.

The inclusion of Bernie Glow and Charlie Shavers, on the other hand, is based on those two first names being written in the trumpet part of the original score of "Joe Turner's Blues". While this may be incorrect, Glow and Shavers seem the most likely possibilities.

Hank Jones is more of a guess. However, he was recording often for Capitol in the days immediately before and after these sessions—both as a leader and a sideman—so it's not unreasonable to think that he plays here as well.

Nat Cole (v), Abel De Costa, Noah Hopkins, Ollie Jones, Jimmy Steward (bkv), Freddy Cole (p), John Collins, Bucky Pizzarelli (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette, Andy Wiswell (pro)

Personnel

As with all New York sessions, personnel listed is largely speculative. However, both Bucky Pizzarelli and Freddy Cole have each said they played on this date, and are listed along with Cole's regular rhythm section, who may or not actually be present.

Abel De Costa, a former member of the vocal group The Cues, who recorded briefly for Capitol, identified the background singers in an interview with Marv Goldberg. Two of the members (De Costa and Ollie Jones), were former members of the The Cues, a vocal group that recorded briefly for Capitol in the mid-50s.

Lee Gillette is credited with producing this date. The session material reveals, at the very least, that Capitol producer Andy Wiswell, who is heard throughout, had a significant role in this session as well.

Ruppli lists Sid Feller as conducting this session, presumably based off Capitol documentation. Dave Cavanaugh, though, has always been credited on all releases. Wiswell can be heard saying 'Dave' at multiple spots during the date and the conductor also sounds like Cavanaugh. Feller may have been there, too, but doesn't appear to have conducted.

Additionally, a finding aid for the Capitol Manuscript archive at BYU attributes the arrangements of "Do I Like It?" and "Just As Much As Ever" to Nelson Riddle, but Riddle's involvement has yet to be confirmed.

Songs

The Bear Family and Ruppli discographies report take 13 as being the master of "Thank You, Pretty Baby". While this may have been designated as such, take 13 does not appear to be what was used when the song was first released, with overdubs, in 1967. Careful listening reveals that the original release sounds like the ninth take. Further, an acetate of take 17 has surfaced (although not heard), meaning they attempted at least four additional takes following the supposed master.

Nat Cole (v), Facundo Rivero Quartet (bkv), Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros (t), Bebo Valdes (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Armando Romeu, Jr. (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Facundo Rivero Quartet (bkv) on b-c.

Master Numbers

Ruppli lists "Cachito", master #17867, as being recorded at this session, although he does state that the vocal was overdubbed later. Other sources, including Bear Family and the discography that appears in Maria Cole's biography of her husband, do not list "Cachito" at this date, nor is there any listing for 17867. However, the following session begins with master #17868, so it is entirely plausible that Ruppli is correct.

Overdubs

Conventional wisdom regarding this album is that the backgrounds were recorded in February while Cole was playing the Tropicana in Havana and Cole then recorded vocal overdubs on June 9 and June 11 back in Los Angeles. This may certainly be true for everything on the album, but because both "Lisbon Antigua" and "Come Closer To Me" are sung in English, it is at least possible that the final vocals were done in Havana.

Personnel

Some sources suggest that Armando De Sequeira Romeu, nephew of the conductor, played drums on the album. Lee Young (and Cole's other musicians) are reported here until the younger Romeu can be confirmed, though it is not known if Young, Collins, and Harris actually played on any of the Havana sessions. This applies to all four of the Havana sessions.

Multiple sources indicate that trumpeter Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros also played on this album. He will be included here until evidence to the contrary emerges.

Song Title

"Come Closer To Me" bears two different titles in this discography. For all other recordings, the song is displayed with Spanish title first, since Nat sings either full or partial Spanish lyrics in those performances. The title is only reversed for this session's performance, since it is sung entirely in English, and presented with English title on the original Capitol single.

Nat Cole (v, p), Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros (t), Bebo Valdes (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Armando Romeu, Jr. (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Nat Cole (v) on b-d, (p) on a; Bebo Valdes (p) on b-d; Lee Young (d) on b-d.

Arrangements

The arranger of "Mardi Gras" cannot be confirmed. A score exists at the Schomburg in New York, but no arranger is listed in the finding aid.

Master Numbers

Ruppli lists "Noche De Ronda", master #17871, at this session, the only source to do so. Though not documented anywhere else, the the gap in master numbers between 17870 and 17872 from the following session is curious.

Nat Cole (v), Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros (t), Bebo Valdes (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Lee Gillette (pro)

Arrangements

Cole's manuscript library at the Schomburg lists two scores of "Quizás", one by Romeu and the other unidentified in the finding aid. The other arrangement may be the one used in subsequent concert appearances.

Nat Cole (v), Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros (t), Mariachi de Alfredo Serna, others unknown (acc), Lee Gillette (pro)

Alfredo 'Chocolate' Armenteros (t) on b.

Nat Cole (v), Rene Faure (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Victor Arno, Harry Bluestone, Sam Cytron, Kurt Dieterle, Walter Edelstein, Dave Frisina, Jacques Gasselin, Murray Kellner, Joseph Livoti, Alex Murray, Erno Neufeld, Nick Pisani, Joseph Quadri, Nat Ross, Mischa Russell, Marshall Sosson (vn), Bill Baffa, Lou Kievman, Ray Menhennick, Dave Sterkin (vl), Armand Kaproff, Ray Kramer (clo), Kathryn Thompson (hrp), Gordon Jenkins (con), Lee Gillette (pro), Pete Abbott (eng)

Nat Cole (v), Rene Faure (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Sam Cytron, Harold Dicterow, Walter Edelstein, Dave Frisina, Benny Gill, Nathan Kaproff, Murray Kellner, Sol Kindler, Joseph Livoti, Dan Lube, Erno Neufeld, Nick Pisani, Lou Raderman, Nat Ross, Mischa Russell, Paul Shure, Felix Slatkin, Marshall Sosson (vn), Bill Baffa, Lou Kievman, Ray Menhennick, Dave Sterkin (vl), Armand Kaproff, Ray Kramer (clo), Kathryn Thompson (hrp), Gordon Jenkins (con), Lee Gillette (pro), Pete Abbott (eng)

Nat Cole (v), Rene Faure (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Victor Arno, Harry Bluestone, Sam Cytron, Harold Dicterow, Kurt Dieterle, Walter Edelstein, Dave Frisina, Jacques Gasselin, Nathan Kaproff, Murray Kellner, Sol Kindler, Joseph Livoti, Dan Lube, Ricky Marino, Erno Neufeld, Nick Pisani, Joseph Quadri, Lou Raderman, Nat Ross, Mischa Russell, Marshall Sosson (vn), Bill Baffa, Lou Kievman, Ray Menhennick, Dave Sterkin (vl), Armand Kaproff, Ray Kramer (clo), Kathryn Thompson (hrp), Gordon Jenkins (con), Lee Gillette (pro), Pete Abbott (eng)

Nat Cole (v), Mannie Klein, Rudy Loera, Henry Miranda, Al Rojo (t), Rene Touzet (p), John Collins, Lorenzo Felix, Charles Gonzales, Fred Hernandez, Joe Nieto (g), Joe Comfort (b), Lee Young (d), Chico Guerrero, Joe Guerrero, Armando Mesa, Carlos Vidal (per), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Master Numbers

Ruppli and Roy Holmes list "El Bodeguero", master #19135, as being recorded at this session while other sources, including Bear Family and the discography that appears in Maria Cole's biography of her husband, do not list this second recording of "El Bodeguero". It is possible that Cole recorded his vocal overdub at this session, but that is speculative.

Listing this performance as unissued, Ruppli also notes that this track and "Noche De Ronda" were made using backing tracks recorded in Cuba. However, this seems unlikely based on the reported personnel for this session and the accompaniment that appears on the released master of "Noche De Ronda".

Arrangements

At least two arrangements were written of "Noche De Ronda", one by Cavanaugh and the other by Riddle. Riddle's ledger indicates that he wrote (and was paid for) an arrangement of this song, while Cole's manuscript archive includes a score that credits Cavanaugh, as is credited here.

Nat Cole (v), unknown (bkv), Ronnie Lang, Willie Smith (as), Buddy Collette, Buck Skalak (ts), Joe Koch (bar), Pete Candoli, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Mickey Mangano, Shorty Sherock (t), Dick Noel, Tommy Pederson (tb), Juan Tizol (vtb), George Roberts (btb), John Williams (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Frank Flynn (per), Joseph DiFiore, Cecil Figelski, Stan Harris, Lou Kievman, Sol Klein, Alex Neiman, Sven Reher, Barbara Simons, Milton Thomas (vl), Nelson Riddle (con), Mannie Klein (mgr), Lee Gillette (pro)

unknown (bkv) on b, d; Frank Flynn (per) on a-c; Joseph DiFiore (vl) on a-c; Cecil Figelski (vl) on a-c; Stan Harris (vl) on a-c; Lou Kievman (vl) on a-c; Sol Klein (vl) on a-c; Alex Neiman (vl) on a-c; Sven Reher (vl) on a-c; Barbara Simons (vl) on a-c; Milton Thomas (vl) on a-c.

Songs

"I Got Love" was an almost identical remake of the recording from December 29, 1955. Neither version was released during Cole's lifetime. The 1958 version first appeared on the promotional LP given to attendees of a 1967 Nat Cole Cancer Foundation benefit. It was nearly released several years earlier, in 1960, when it was assembled on an album reel for a project tentatively titled Sweethearts On Parade, but never issued.

Nat Cole (v), Marshal Royal, Frank Wess (as), Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell (ts), Charlie Fowlkes (bar), John Anderson, Wendell Culley, Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Snooky Young (t), Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (tb), Gerald Wiggins (p, con), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b), Sonny Payne (d), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Marshal Royal (as) on b-g; Frank Wess (as) on b-g; Frank Foster (ts) on b-g; Billy Mitchell (ts) on b-g; Charlie Fowlkes (bar) on b-g; John Anderson (t) on b-g; Wendell Culley (t) on b-g; Thad Jones (t) on b-g; Joe Newman (t) on b-g; Snooky Young (t) on b-g; Henry Coker (tb) on b-g; Al Grey (tb) on b-g; Benny Powell (tb) on b-g; Gerald Wiggins (p) on b-g, (con) on b-g; Freddie Green (g) on b-g; Eddie Jones (b) on b-g; Sonny Payne (d) on b-g; Dave Cavanaugh (con) on b-g.

Overdubs

"Acércate Más" features a vocal overdub from Cole using the orchestral background recorded in Havana on February 17th. While Capitol files date this overdubbed vocal on June 30, a session with Basie seems an odd time to record this. The master number assigned places the song around June 23rd or 24th, though there is no other evidence to suggest that this was recorded at any other session than the 30th.

Nat Cole (v), Marshal Royal, Frank Wess (as), Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell (ts), Charlie Fowlkes (bar), John Anderson, Wendell Culley, Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Snooky Young (t), Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (tb), Gerald Wiggins (p, con), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b), Sonny Payne (d), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Dave Cavanaugh (con) on a-b, f; Gerald Wiggins (con) on c-e.

Personnel

Cavanaugh arranged and conducted the full album, although it is pianist Gerald Wiggins who is heard giving the downbeat on "The Late, Late Show", which is all the more odd considering it was Cavanaugh's own composition.

Composers

Dave Cavanaugh wrote "The Late, Late Show" under the pseudonym Murray Berlin.

Nat Cole (v), Marshal Royal, Frank Wess (as), Frank Foster, Billy Mitchell (ts), Charlie Fowlkes (bar), John Anderson, Wendell Culley, Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Snooky Young (t), Henry Coker, Al Grey, Benny Powell (tb), Gerald Wiggins (p, con), Freddie Green (g), Eddie Jones (b), Sonny Payne (d), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Take Numbers

The three-track session tape identifies take 15 as the master of "Look Out For Love", though both the Bear Family and Ruppli Capitol discographies list take 18 as the master. Take 15 is reported here.

Take Numbers, Part II

There is considerable uncertainty about the pieced takes used for the original mono and stereo mixes of "Madrid", and even the complete and unedited take found on the three-track session reel. The current thinking is as follows:

-the original mono mix contains the first five seconds of take 7, while the remainder is from take 18*.

-the original stereo master used take 17 until 'at the airport in sunny Spain', at which point the remainder of the song is take 18*.

*Notes made by engineer Steve Hoffman, say that take 18 was originally marked HOLD by producer Lee Gillette — in other words, do not destroy. This makes sense given that both the mono and stereo masters are both — apparently — prominently comprised of take 18.

However, when Hoffman remixed this album in 2013, he used the three-track session reels, all of which feature Lee Gillette announcing the slate for each song. During the production of "Madrid", Gillette calls for take 17, which is supposed to be an incomplete take (per Gillette's original notes and the tape box itself). It's not only possible but likely that Gillette mis-spoke when announced the slate for "Madrid", repeating 17 when he meant to say 18.

This discography operates under the assumption that take 18 is the complete and unedited performance on the three-track session reel, and what is featured on the Audio Fidelity release of Welcome To The Club.

Nat Cole (v), Jerome Kasper, Harry Klee, Ronnie Lang (ww), Dick Noel, Tommy Pederson (tb), Juan Tizol (vtb), Russ Brown (btb), Jimmie Rowles (p, cel), John Collins (g), Joe Comfort (b), Lee Young (d), Israel Baker, Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Dan Lube, Alfred Lustgarten, Lisa Minghetti, Erno Neufeld, Nat Ross, Mischa Russell (vn), Stan Harris, Ralph Lane (vl), Ed Lustgarten, Eleanor Slatkin (clo), Kathryn Julye (hrp), Nelson Riddle (con), Sol Klein (mgr), Lee Gillette (pro)

Jimmie Rowles (cel) on a, c, e.

Nat Cole (v), unknown (bkv, hrp), John Hacker (ww), Huntington Burdick, Richard Perissi (frh), Jimmie Rowles (p, cel), John Collins (g), Jack Rose (man), Joe Comfort (b), Lee Young (d), Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Lou Klass, Alfred Lustgarten, Lisa Minghetti, Erno Neufeld, Nat Ross, Paul Shure, Felix Slatkin (vn), Alvin Dinkin, Stan Harris, Ralph Lane, Dave Sterkin (vl), Kurt Reher, Eleanor Slatkin (clo), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Take Numbers

The Ruppli and Bear Family discographies both identify take 15 as the master for "Give Me Your Love". However, the stereo session reel lists only 11 takes of the song, with take 9 identified as the only complete take. It's possible that a second reel exists which might contain the remaining takes, meaning that a 15th take could in fact be the master performance.

Nat Cole (v), First Church of Deliverance Choir (bkv), others unknown (acc), Gordon Jenkins (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Location

There is some uncertainty about where exactly in Chicago this album was recorded, with both Universal Recording and the First Church of Deliverance both being likely possibilities. Aural evidence suggests a mixture of both—making vocal overdubbing more than likely—with some performances having a noticeable church echo, and others bearing the qualities of a conventional studio. Cole associate Dick LaPalm, who was based in Chicago, said he attended a session for this album and asserted it was done at Universal.

Alternates and Splices

The alternate takes are from two acetates that emerged online in recent years. Although not heard, the acetates contain take numbers that differ from those listed on the original tape box.

"Ain't Gonna Study War No More" presents an interesting case. The original LP and the 1966 reissue both clock the song at 2:27. However, in the CD era, multiple releases bear a running time of 2:37. It has not been determined if the CD issues in question use a third take, in addition to what is reported here.

That same box indicates that there is a bad splice at 1:40 of "Every Time I Feel The Spirit".

Personnel

This album was recorded largely out of phase, with the title song and "Steal Away" being the only exceptions.

It is not currently known who engineered the sessions, but it assumed that it was a Universal engineer and not anyone from Los Angeles or New York brought out by Capitol. Since Bill Putnam was no longer in Chicago by this point, Bernie Clapper, Bruce Swedien, and Mason Clappinger are likely candidates.

Nat Cole (v), First Church of Deliverance Choir (bkv), others unknown (acc), Gordon Jenkins (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Location

See note from previous session.

Nat Cole (v), Harry 'Sweets' Edison (t), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Personnel

All personnel beyond Cole, Cavanaugh, and Gillette, are speculative. It reasonable to assume that Collins, Harris, and Young (Cole's own musicians) played on this and the other New York session from the fall of 1958. This applies to the other two sessions for this album as well (November 4 & 10).

Crediting the trumpet obbligatos to Harry Edison, however, is questionable. Edison was recording in New York throughout the fall of 1958, so his participation cannot be ruled out entirely. Thus, he will be reported here until documentation proves otherwise.

Composers

"You Are My Love" was credited to Noel Sherman and Stanley Bass, the latter being a pseudonym of arranger/producer Dave Cavanaugh. The song was previously recorded as instrumentals on Capitol by Milt Buckner and Hank Jones, both of which were most likely produced by Cavanaugh.

Nat Cole (v), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), others unknown (acc), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Songs

The mono and stereo master takes of "This Is Always" differ very slightly, similar to what occurred with tracks from Just One Of Those Things. The difference here is that the mono and stereo editions of Tell Me All About Yourself were prepared and issued simultaneously instead of two years apart as with the earlier album. Here, Cole's vocal in the coda is slightly different. More than likely, the mono master features an intercut from another take; otherwise the two performances sound identical.

Nat Cole (v), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Songs

Two of these titles ("Be Still My Heart" and "I Had The Craziest Dream") were assembled onto a reel of unissued songs in 1960, to be included in the planned but never issued Sweethearts On Parade album. All songs from this date were first issued in 1966 with overdubbed drums and guitars produced by Dave Cavanaugh.

Timings

The assembled reel of the unissued album reports a running time of 2:57 for "Be Still My Heart". This may be a typo, or it may indicate an edit on the released version.

Nat Cole (v), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Songs

The alternate take of "You Made Me Love You" was the performance used for the overdubbed version. It has not been issued in its original form without updated accompaniment.

Nat Cole (v), Harry 'Sweets' Edison (t), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Songs

Capitol files indicate that another attempt of "Dedicated To You" was made without a new master number. Despite returning to it, all indications are that the original attempt was issued on the album, while this latter attempt remains unreleased.

Nat Cole (v), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Nat Cole (v), unknown (bkv), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Dave Cavanaugh, Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

unknown (bkv) on c-d, g; Dave Cavanaugh (con) on e-g; Nelson Riddle (con) on a-d.

Mono vs. Stereo

A stereo alternate take of "Again" was used for the posthumous overdub of the song, instead of the original mono master first issued in 1959. The Collectors' Choice CD reissue of Looking Back does not feature the overdubbed version heard on the LP, though it does contain the stereo alternate take of this song.

Nat Cole (v), Bill Miller (p), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Victor Arno, Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Benny Gill, Dan Lube, Eudice Shapiro, Marshall Sosson, Jerry Vinci (vn), Stan Harris, Paul Robyn (vl), Elizabeth Greenschpoon, Ray Kramer, Ed Lustgarten (clo), Kathryn Julye (hrp), Nelson Riddle (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Nat Cole, Sylvia Telles (v), Trio Irakitan (bkv, acc), Irv Bush (t), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro), Val Valentin (eng)

Sylvia Telles (v) on b-c, j; Trio Irakitan (bkv) on j-k, m-o, (acc) on j-k, m-o; Irv Bush (t) on a-e, g-k.

Personnel

The Trio Irakitan consisted of Edson Reis de França, Paulo Gilvan Duarte Bezerril and João Manoel de Araújo Costa Netto. While not listed on the back cover of the original LP, it's possible Irakitan also played on "Ansiedad".

Although tentative, it's assumed that Cole's own musicians (Collins, Harris, Young, Bush) played on at least some of the titles.

Dates

It's not known which songs belong to what date. However, the session breakdown for the four dates was apparently 3 hours / 6 hours / 4 hours / 4.5 hours.

Overdubs

Unlike the original Cole Español album, in which it is acknowledged that Cole overdubbed his vocals, it is generally accepted that Cole recorded his vocals for A Mis Amigos in Rio.

However, Brazilian columnist Nestor de Holanda, writing in the May 3, 1959 issue of Diário Carioca, suggests otherwise: 'In fact, Nat King Cole was there, accompanied by the sound technician who accompanied him on his tour of our country. However, we can inform you with absolute certainty that the recordings were not made. The American technician advised against making the scheduled recordings, as he considered obsolete and technically imperfect the new Odeon studios in this capital, which could harm, in our country, the prestige of the interpreter of "Mona Lisa". Thus, Odeon restricted itself to recording only the instrumental part of the numbers. The recording of the vocal part will be done, in playback, in Capitol studios, in Hollywood.' [Information courtesy of Carlus Maximus.]

This has not been confirmed, but the existence of the backing track/vocal overdub acetates of "Brazilian Love Song" at least proves that not everything was done live. But whether Cole recorded his vocals in Rio or Los Angeles cannot be confirmed.

There are at least two extant acetates of "Brazilian Love Song", originally part of the Cole Estate, which emerged on eBay in recent years. One is a backing track featuring the music and chorus singers, while the other has Cole's voice overdubbed on top of this backing track. A visual of the acetates reveals that take 7 is listed as B.G., presumably representing 'background'. This conflicts with info provided by the eBay seller, who claimed take 6 was the background and take 7 is the overdubbed Cole vocal, which makes more sense. For now, though, take 6 is reported here until confirmed otherwise.

Nat Cole (v), unknown (bkv), Milt Raskin, Jimmie Rowles (p), John Collins, Al Hendrickson, Jack Marshall (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Milt Holland (per), Dave Cavanaugh (con)

Nat Cole (v, p), Bill Cole, Allan Davies, Bernie Parke, others unknown (bkv), John Collins, Jack Marshall (g), Joe Comfort (b), Lee Young (d), Irv Cottler (tam), Dave Cavanaugh (con)

Nat Cole (v) on a-b, (p) on c-d.

Take Numbers

There are some discrepancies between the Ruppli and Bear Family discographies for the following tunes:

The World In My Arms - take 4 (Ruppli), take 8 (Bear Family);
Time And The River - take 5 (Ruppli), take 6 (Bear Family).

Nat Cole (v, p), Jimmy Clark (as), Earl Blue, Irv Bush, Buddy Childers (t), Milt Bernhart, Freddy Lewis (tb), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), others unknown (acc), Antonio Morelli (con), Dave Cavanaugh (dir), Lee Gillette (pro), Hugh Davies, Bill Robinson (eng)

Nat Cole (v) on a-p, r-u, (p) on q.

Personnel

Some names included here were provided by trumperter Irv Bush, who toured with Cole from 1958-60, during a 2005 interview. Of those, Earl Blue and Jimmy Clark are deemed tentative, at best, since they appear in no other sources.

It is quite possible that Jimmy Clark is meant to be Jimmy Cook, a tenor saxophonist who played with Harry James and Woody Herman, among others. By 1960, Cook had settled in Las Vegas and was playing in hotel bands in the city.

Alternates

The alternate of "Miss Otis Regrets" is the same as the master except for the introduction and ending; as such, the album master is likely pieced from this and at least one other take.

To the point above, the emcee introduction on the Complete Lost Concert disc, delivered by Bob Bailey, is also different than the album master. Clearly, multiple takes for several songs were attempted, which would explain the 2.5 hour set time.

Rehearsals

It's unclear when the rehearsal performances were captured, but it was probably after Cole's last show of the evening. The final show started around 11:15 pm, and ended prior to the 'recording session' which began at 2:30 am.

Nat Cole (v, spk), Jimmy Joyce, others unknown, Clark Yocum (bkv), Benny Carter, Harry Klee (ww, as), Plas Johnson, Buck Skalak (ww, ts), Joe Koch (ww, bar), Irv Bush, Pete Candoli, Cappy Lewis, Shorty Sherock (t), Tommy Pederson, Tommy Shepard (tb), Juan Tizol (vtb), Russ Brown (btb), Red Callender (tu), Lou Levy (p, cel), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Emil Richards (per), Victor Arno, Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Jacques Gasselin, Dan Lube, Nat Ross, Mischa Russell, Marshall Sosson (vn), Paul Robyn, Barbara Simons (vl), Ossip Giskin, Ray Kramer, Joseph Saxon (clo), Mannie Klein (mgr), Lee Gillette (pro), John Kraus (eng)

Jimmy Joyce (bkv) on o-p, u; others unknown (bkv) on u; Clark Yocum (bkv) on o-p, u; Nat Cole (spk) on a-t.

Songs

The tape box for "Wild Is Love" reveals that an edit was inserted into bar 69 (the coda) of take 14, though it's uncertain from which take this edit comes, possibly a 15th take. The complete, unedited take 14 was released on the Analogue Productions edition of The Nat King Cole Story, the first such release to use the full take 14. All previous issues present the take with the bar 69 insert.

Nat Cole (v), unknown (bkv), Paul Horn, Harry Klee, Ronnie Lang, Champ Webb (ww), Willard Culley, John Graas, Arthur Maebe, James McGee (frh), Lou Levy (p, cel), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), Victor Arno, Victor Bay, Alex Beller, Jacques Gasselin, Jimmy Getzoff, Benny Gill, Carl Lamagna, Dan Lube, Nat Ross, Jerry Vinci (vn), Cecil Figelski, Paul Robyn, Barbara Simons (vl), Victor Gottlieb, David Pratt, Eleanor Slatkin (clo), Veryle Mills (hrp), Nelson Riddle (con), Mannie Klein (mgr), Lee Gillette (pro), John Kraus (eng)

unknown (bkv) on a-b, f; Lou Levy (cel) on a, d.

Narration Backgrounds

There are differences heard in the background ambiance during the narration section of "It's A Beautiful Evening" on LP vs. CD reissues. Same is true of the music for "Beggar For The Blues" from the previous session.

Nat Cole (v), Sue Allen, Peggy Clark Schwartz, Allan Davies, Bill Lee, Johnny Mann, Bernie Parke, Sally Sweetland (bkv), Lennie Niehaus (as), Plas Johnson, Jay Migliori, Ronnie Rubin (ts), Marvin Holladay, Jack Nimitz (bar), Bud Brisbois, Conte Candoli, Pete Candoli, Frank Huggins, Jack Sheldon (t), Jim Amlotte, Bob Fitzpatrick, Kent Larson, Tommy Shepard (tb), Bobby Knight (btb), Stan Kenton (p, dir), Milt Raskin (p), John Collins, Jack Marshall, Bill Pitman (g), Don Bagley, Charlie Harris (b), Mel Lewis, Lee Young (d), Mike Pacheco (per), Victor Arno, Robert Barene, George Berres, Harry Bluestone, Benny Gill, Murray Kellner, Marvin Limonick, Ricky Marino, Jerry Vinci (vn), Cecil Figelski, Al Harshman (vl), Justin DiTullio, Emmet Sargeant (clo), Stan Kenton Orchestra (acc), Dave Cavanaugh (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

Sue Allen (bkv) on b-d; Peggy Clark Schwartz (bkv) on b-d; Allan Davies (bkv) on b-d; Bill Lee (bkv) on b-d; Johnny Mann (bkv) on b-d; Bernie Parke (bkv) on b-d; Sally Sweetland (bkv) on b-d; Lennie Niehaus (as) on a-b; Plas Johnson (ts) on b; Jay Migliori (ts) on a-b; Ronnie Rubin (ts) on a-b; Marvin Holladay (bar) on a-b; Jack Nimitz (bar) on a-b; Bud Brisbois (t) on a-b; Conte Candoli (t) on a-b; Pete Candoli (t) on a-b; Frank Huggins (t) on a-b; Jack Sheldon (t) on a-b; Jim Amlotte (tb) on a-b; Bob Fitzpatrick (tb) on a-b; Kent Larson (tb) on a-b; Tommy Shepard (tb) on a-b; Bobby Knight (btb) on a-b; Stan Kenton (p) on a-b, (dir) on a-b; Milt Raskin (p) on c-d; John Collins (g) on b-d; Jack Marshall (g) on b-d; Bill Pitman (g) on b-d; Don Bagley (b) on a; Charlie Harris (b) on b-d; Mel Lewis (d) on a; Lee Young (d) on b-d; Mike Pacheco (per) on a-b; Victor Arno (vn) on c-d; Robert Barene (vn) on c-d; George Berres (vn) on c-d; Harry Bluestone (vn) on c-d; Benny Gill (vn) on c-d; Murray Kellner (vn) on c-d; Marvin Limonick (vn) on c-d; Ricky Marino (vn) on c-d; Jerry Vinci (vn) on c-d; Cecil Figelski (vl) on c-d; Al Harshman (vl) on c-d; Justin DiTullio (clo) on c-d; Emmet Sargeant (clo) on c-d; Stan Kenton Orchestra (acc) on a-b; Dave Cavanaugh (con) on c-d.

Personnel

A definitive arranger cannot be identified for the Kenton titles. Some sources believe it is Kenton himself. Cole's manuscript archive lists an arrangement of "Steady", but the finding aid credits no arranger. Two scores of "My Love" are listed, with Cavanaugh credited on one and Kenton the other. Cole is known to have performed "My Love" live in 1960, so the Cavanaugh arrangement is likely for that purpose.

Nat Cole (v, spk), unknown (bkv, hrp), Pete Carpenter, Dick Nash, Tommy Pederson (tb), George Roberts (btb), Jimmie Rowles (p, cel), John Collins (g), Charlie Harris (b), Lee Young (d), John Cyr (per), Victor Arno, Israel Baker, Harold Dicterow, Dave Frisina, Jimmy Getzoff, Dan Lube, Ricky Marino, Alex Murray, Lou Raderman, Ralph Schaeffer, Jerry Vinci (vn), Alvin Dinkin, Al Harshman, Ray Menhennick, Gary Nuttycombe (vl), Victor Gottlieb, Ed Lustgarten, Kurt Reher, Emmet Sargeant (clo), Bob Stone (arco), Ralph Carmichael (con), Lee Gillette (pro)

unknown (bkv) on b; Pete Carpenter (tb) on b; Dick Nash (tb) on b; Tommy Pederson (tb) on b; George Roberts (btb) on b; Jimmie Rowles (cel) on d; Lee Young (d) on a-c, e; John Cyr (per) on b; Nat Cole (spk) on b.

Timings

An acetate of "You Are Mine" bears a running time of 3:09, eight seconds longer than the issued take. It has not been determined if there any differences between the two copies of the performance. The timing is possibly an error, since both are believed to be take 9.

Wild Is Love

It's possible Cole recorded the remaining spoken intros for Wild Is Love at this session, but they are not documented.

Nat Cole (v), unknown (bkv), Ralph Carmichael (con), Lee Gillette (pro)