Freddy Cole

Freddy Cole (2003)

Lionel Frederick "Freddy" Cole (born October 15, 1931 in Chicago , Illinois , † June 27, 2020 in Atlanta , Georgia ) was an American jazz pianist and singer. The New York Times named him one of the most mature, expressive jazz vocalists of his generation.

Live and act

Freddy Cole was the younger brother of Eddie, Ike & Nat King Cole (and thus later the uncle of Nat's daughter Natalie Cole ). He began playing the piano at the age of six and later studied at the Juilliard School and the Boston New England Conservatory . In 1952 he released his first single. He worked with Earl Bostic and with Grover Washington, Jr. - as later on his 1994 album All My Tomorrows - and produced commercial jingles for Turner Classic Movies . He achieved his artistic breakthrough as a jazz singer late in the 1990s; During this time he recorded a number of albums on the Fantasy label with guest musicians such as Larry Willis , Antonio Hart , Robin Eubanks , Lew Soloff , Cedar Walton , George Mraz , Ben Riley and others . With his regular Freddy Cole Quartet (Cole on piano and vocals, accompanied by guitarist Randy Napoleon , drummer Curtis Boyd and bassist Elias Bailey) he played regularly in the USA, Europe, the Far East and South America. In 2001 he was on the album "But Beautiful" by Jimmy Scott . Cole was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2011 he appeared as a guest of the hr big band at the Rheingau Music Festival .

Freddy Cole was portrayed in the 2006 film documentary The Cole Nobody Knows by filmmaker Clay Walker. He died in June 2020 at the age of 88.

Selection discography

1976: The Cole Nobody Knows (First Shot label)
1990: I'm Not My Brother, I'm Me (Fantasy)
1994: Always (Fantasy) with Robin Eubanks, George Mraz
1994: I Want A Smile for Christmas (Fantasy)
1995: A Circle of Love (Fantasy, 1993-95)
1997: To the Ends of the Earth (Fantasy) with Antonio Hart
1999: Le Grand Freddy (Fantasy, 1993–99) with Lew Soloff, Grover Washington, Cedar Walton
1999: Merry-Go-Round (Telarc) with Gary Smulyan , Cedar Walton, Lou Marini
2005: This Love of Mine (HighNote)
2010: Freddy Cole Sings Mr. B (HighNote Records) with Houston Person , John Di Martino , nominated for Best Jazz Singing Album at the 2011 Grammy Awards
2018: My Mood Is You (HighNote)

Lexigraphic entries

Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .

Web links

Commons : Freddy Cole - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Giovanni Russonello: Freddy Cole, Performer Who Emerged From Nat's Shadow, Dies at 88. In: The New York Times , July 2, 2020 (English). Retrieved July 3, 2020.
^ ^A ^b Hessischer Rundfunk: Jazz Matinée with Freddy Cole

personal data
SURNAME	Cole, Freddy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Cole, Frederick
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American jazz pianist and singer
DATE OF BIRTH	October 15, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	Chicago , Illinois
DATE OF DEATH	June 27, 2020
Place of death	Atlanta , Georgia

[1] Giovanni Russonello: Freddy Cole, Performer Who Emerged From Nat's Shadow, Dies at 88. In: The New York Times , July 2, 2020 (English). Retrieved July 3, 2020.

[HR-2] A ^b Hessischer Rundfunk: Jazz Matinée with Freddy Cole