The Sideman Sessions

Illinois Jacquet (ts), Shad Collins (t), Nat Cole (p), Gene Englund (b), J. C. Heard (d), Norman Granz (pro)

Catalog Numbers

The original issue was a 78 album containing all four recordings. Each platter in the album was given its own catalog number:

2010: Heads / It Had To Be You
2011: Pro-Sky / I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Kay Starr (v), Buster Bailey (cl), Benny Carter (as), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Bill Coleman (t), Nat Cole (p), Oscar Moore (g), John Kirby (b), Max Roach (d), Dave Dexter (pro)

Kay Starr (v) on e-l.

Several alternate takes from this session, produced by Capitol's Dave Dexter and featuring an all-star ensemble billed as the "Capitol International Jazzmen", are now known to exist. A special thank-you to discogapher James Accardi for providing details on the session's many extras.

Take Numbers

599-1 is a nearly complete take. Dexter interrupts at the very end to say he wants to check the balance.

Capitol considers 601-3 to be the master take of "Stormy Weather", while this discography reports take 4 as the master. Capitol's take 3 and the take 4 reported here are the same performance. Following the false start on take 3, Capitol likely did not reslate the performance indicated here as take 4, but we have elected to include the false start and have therefore designated take 4 as the master.

Herbie Haymer (ts), Charlie Shavers (t), Nat Cole (p), John Simmons (b), Buddy Rich (d), Eddie Laguna (pro)

Label Credit

The original Sunset 78s were credited to the "Herbie Haymer Quintet", with Cole identified as Sam Schmaltz.

On the Monarch LP release of 1951, Cole is credited simply as 'The King'.

Songs

Though it most often appears as simply "Kicks", this composition has appeared under multiple titles on different issues.

The 1951 Swing 78 lists the title as "Nat's Kick", while the Monarch LP lists it as "Honeysuckle Rose", the tune on whose chord changes it was based.

Studio

This session was most likely held in Studio B at Radio Recorders.

Willie Smith (as), Nat Cole (p), Red Callender (b), Jackie Mills (d), Harry Lim (pro), John Palladino (eng)

Label Credit

On original Keynote 78s, band is credited as "The Keynoters", while Cole himself was identified as 'Lord Calvert'.

Composers

The original issue of "Airiness A La Nat" credits merely 'The Quintet' as composer. Most subsequent issues have attributed the composition to producer Harry Lim. While the song might have been written on the spot by the group or by Cole himself, Lim is credited here, absent any further information.

Jo Stafford (v), Heine Beau, Henry Schuman, Fred Stulce (ww), Herbie Haymer (ts), Ray Linn (t), Nat Cole (p), Dave Barbour (g), Artie Shapiro (b), Nick Fatool (d), Paul Weston (con), Jim Conkling (pro)

Lester Young (ts), Nat Cole (p), Buddy Rich (d), Norman Granz (pro)

Buddy Rich (d) on a-f, h-i.

Cole was credited as 'Aye Guy'.

Releases & Edits

78 album C-104 included the following:

11048: Back To The Land / I've Found A New Baby
11049: I Cover The Waterfront / Somebody Loves Me

Two versions of MG C-104 are known to exist, one on Mercury and another that was also issued on Clef. The Mercury issue features the first take of "I Cover The Waterfront" and the complete unedited take of "Back To The Land". The Clef release includes take 2 of "Waterfront" and an edited version (cutting out some of Cole's piano intro) of "Back To The Land". Because of this edit, the performance on the Clef LP is sometimes mistakenly listed as an alternate take.

Johnny Hodges (as), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Harry Carney (bar), Charlie Shavers (t), Lawrence Brown (tb), Nat Cole (p), Bob Ahern (g), Eddie Safranski (b), Dave Tough (d)

With Cole's piano substituting for Sinatra's vocals and Dave Tough replacing Buddy Rich on drums, the Metronome All-Stars gathered for a rehearsal a day before the recording session. An acetate disc capturing "Sweet Lorraine" is known to exist.

June Christy, Frank Sinatra (v), Nat Cole (v, p), Johnny Hodges (as), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Harry Carney (bar), Charlie Shavers (t), Lawrence Brown (tb), Bob Ahern (g), Eddie Safranski (b), Buddy Rich (d), George Simon (pro)

June Christy (v) on j-o; Nat Cole (v) on j-o; Frank Sinatra (v) on a-i.

Releases

Some sources suggest that 37177-2 ("Sweet Lorraine") appeared on the original 78 issue 37293. Sinatra discographer Luiz Carlos do Nascimento Silva says the second take was used 'on only a few copies' of the original 78. For his part, Teubig says takes 1 & 2 appeared on the original 78 and that takes 1 & 2 of "Nat Meets June" were both issued on various pressings of the initial 78.

Mosaic, in the discography to the Coleman Hawkins set, says the following about the second take of "Sweet Lorraine": 'Discographies list 37177-2 as being initially issued on Columbia 37293 or Harmony HL 7044. However, the Japanese 78 is the initial release'.

The Hawkins Mosaic set omitted three breakdowns, two on "Sweet Lorraine" (BD3 & BD6) and one on "Nat Meets June" (BD1). Mosaic also included several seconds of chatter in between two takes of "Nat Meets June", not placed here.

Per Mosaic, the sequencing of the listed titles 'comes from written information on the sleeve of the original lacquer disc'.

Buddy DeFranco (cl), Art Pepper, George Weidler (as), Bob Cooper, Flip Phillips, Warren Weidler (ts), Bob Gioga (bar), Buddy Childers, Dizzy Gillespie, Ken Hanna, Al Porcino, Ray Wetzel (t), Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Harry Forbes, Bill Harris (tb), Bart Varsalona (btb), Nat Cole (p), Billy Bauer (g), Eddie Safranski (b), Shelly Manne, Buddy Rich (d), Stan Kenton Orchestra (acc), Stan Kenton (dir), George Simon (pro)

Art Pepper (as) on c; George Weidler (as) on c; Bob Cooper (ts) on c; Warren Weidler (ts) on c; Bob Gioga (bar) on c; Buddy Childers (t) on c; Ken Hanna (t) on c; Al Porcino (t) on c; Ray Wetzel (t) on c; Milt Bernhart (tb) on c; Harry Betts (tb) on c; Harry Forbes (tb) on c; Bart Varsalona (btb) on c; Shelly Manne (d) on c; Buddy Rich (d) on a-b; Stan Kenton Orchestra (acc) on c; Stan Kenton (dir) on c.

The annual gathering of "The Metronome All Stars" and the first to be recorded on Capitol. According to an article in the February 1948 issue of Metronome, Dizzy Gillespie was an hour late to the 10 a.m. session and arrived "just in time to sit in for a final take". He may well have been late (and missed some of the takes), but he is present on the two surviving takes (3 & 4) of "Leap Here".

Maria Cole (v), Nat Cole (p), others unknown (acc), George Siravo (con)

Personnel

According to the late Roy Holmes, Maria Cole told him in 1989 that it was Nat who played piano on all tracks for this album. Careful listening is not convincing on this point, though we have included both sessions on the off chance that Nat did indeed participate.

A pair of photographs taken at one of the dates reveal Nat's presence in the booth, if not on the studio floor. Another image shows Maria rehearsing with the bassist and guitarist both visible, neither of whom are John Collins or Charlie Harris, as Holmes speculated they might be.

Maria Cole (v), Nat Cole (p), others unknown (acc), George Siravo (con)