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Sessions of 1938

1938

Summer (date unknown) *

Hollywood California

Nat Cole (piano, vocal), Oscar Moore (guitar, vocal) and Wesley Prince (bass, vocal) with Maxine Johnson (vocal) (*)

Note: if the date is correct, this may be the earliest Trio recording as the featured act and may also feature Nat's earliest vocal.

October (date unknown)

Los Angeles or Hollywood California, for Standard Transcriptions

Nat Cole (piano, vocal), Oscar Moore (guitar, vocal) and Wesley Prince (bass, vocal)

Note: Nat, Oscar and Wesley are credited as The King Cole Trio.

October (date unknown)

Los Angeles or Hollywood California, for Standard Transcriptions

Nat Cole (piano, vocal), Oscar Moore (guitar, vocal) and Wesley Prince (bass, vocal)

Note: Nat, Oscar and Wesley are credited as The King Cole Trio.

November (date unknown)

Los Angeles or Hollywood California, for Standard Transcriptions

Nat Cole (piano, vocal), Oscar Moore (guitar, vocal) and Wesley Prince (bass, vocal)

Note: Nat, Oscar and Wesley are credited as The King Cole Trio.

Conventions: Nat King Cole is also the arranger except where otherwise noted. Where known, master numbers (aka matrix) are noted in parenthesis.

Concerning the attribution of Summer (date unknown) 1938: The date of this session is problematic. On the CD release from Savoy Jazz (ZDS 1205) it is estimated as "August or Spetember 1938" and cites Klaus Tebig's discography of Cole. One may be tempted to say it is the earliest Trio recording based upon Nat's relatively more awkward vocal, yet Oscar's guitar sounds like '39 might even be too early and it seems odd Nat would be featured singing solo on his first go when other period sessions feature unison vocals by the trio. There are two sessions with Maxine Johnson; the second is estimated (same source) as "summer 1939." Nothing in these sessions offers any compelling reason they would reunite a year later, so I'm tempted to suggest they are at furthest two consecutive sessions from '39 that may have been meant to fill out a transcription disc. However I defer to the experts and include them as credited.