“Tenderly” September 20, 2007

Throughout Nat “King” Cole’s career, he was accused of “selling out” his jazz roots for success as a pop singer.

This is the kind of number the critics were talking about … except, of course, that this is the kind of arrangement and backup that the jazz snobs should have gone crazy for. (I certainly do, and Lord knows I’m a music snob.)

From his 1950s TV show, Nat “King” Cole sings “Tenderly” (music by Walter Lloyd Gross and lyrics by Jack Lawrence). accompanied by Oscar Peterson on piano, Coleman Hawkins on tenor sax, Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar.

This song is so identified with him that it’s easy to forget that it was the theme to Rosemary Clooney’s TV show that ran at the same time as Nat’s show.

Technorati tags: Nat “King” Cole, Tenderly, Walter Lloyd Gross, Jack Lawrence, Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis