Studio Album · No. 1
Nat King Cole at the Piano Songwriting Credits by Nat King Cole
Holds writing credit on 2 of 8 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 2 / 8 documented
Scored across the 8 tracks with documented writers, by whether Nat King Cole carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 8 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
On this album Nat King Cole is the interpreter and pianist, not the writer. Six of the eight tracks are jazz standards by other songwriters: 'Three Little Words' by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, 'Moonlight in Vermont' by John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf, 'Poor Butterfly' by Raymond Hubbell, 'How High the Moon' by Nancy Hamilton and Morgan Lewis, 'I'll Never Be the Same' by Matty Malneck and Frank Signorelli, and 'These Foolish Things' by Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey, and Harry Link. The two exceptions are Cole originals, 'Cole Capers' and 'Blues in My Shower,' the only tracks that carry his own writing credit under his legal name Nathaniel Adams Coles. The composer column is dominated by outside writers, with Cole's pen limited to the two instrumental features he wrote himself.
Nat King Cole at the Piano is an instrumental jazz album by Nat King Cole, released by Capitol Records in 1950 as a 10-inch LP after an initial 1949 issue on a set of 78 rpm records. Its eight tracks come from an August 13, 1947 session at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles, where Cole led his trio with Oscar Moore on guitar and Johnny Miller on bass. Cole is heard here as a pianist rather than a singer, working through jazz standards and two of his own instrumentals. The program mixes uptempo swing like 'Three Little Words' and 'How High the Moon' with ballads such as 'Moonlight in Vermont' and 'These Foolish Things,' plus a 12-bar blues in 'Blues in My Shower.' It is one of the earliest records built around the piano-guitar-bass trio format that shaped small-group jazz, and it captures Cole's keyboard playing before his singing came to define his career.
Track Listing & Credits 8 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Three Little Words
|
Bert KalmarHarry Ruby | Bert KalmarHarry Rubenstein | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |
| 2 |
Moonlight in Vermont
|
John BlackburnKarl Suessdorf | John BlackburnKarl Suessdorf | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |
| 3 |
Poor Butterfly
|
Raymond Hubbell | Raymond Hubbell | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |
| 4 |
How High the Moon
|
Nancy HamiltonMorgan Lewis | Nancy HamiltonMorgan Lewis | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |
| 5 |
I'll Never Be the Same
|
Matty MalneckFrank Signorelli | Matthew MalneckFrank Signorelli | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |
| 6 |
These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)
|
Holt MarvellJack StracheyHarry Link | Eric MaschwitzJack StracheyHarry Link | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |
| 7 |
Cole Capers
|
Not documented | Nathaniel Adams Coles | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |
| 8 |
Blues in My Shower
|
Not documented | Nathaniel Adams Coles | - | Nat King Cole (Piano)Oscar Moore (Guitar)Johnny Miller (Double Bass) |