With his silky tenor and subtle, if highly underrated phrasing, Nat King Cole will long be remembered as one of the 20th century"s true vocal giants. But lost among his renowned ballads and wealth of pop hits is the fact that Cole began his career as one of America"s great jazz pianists, before his tentative vocalizing with the Nat King Cole Trio forever sealed his fate. Though Cole purists will be familiar with much of this material, this satisfying collection eschews the biggest hits to focus on standards by Gershwin, Mercer, Berlin, and Rodgers and Hart (among others), performed in musical settings ranging from Cole"s original trio (in a pair of previously unreleased tracks), the Count Basie Band, and arrangements by the likes of Nelson Riddle and Billy May. The result is a remarkably fresh introduction to an artist who effortlessly wove jazz, blues, and pop into a dreamy, often transcendent new whole. --Jerry McCulley