King Cole Trio: One O'Clock Jump
Track
One O'Clock Jump
Group
King Cole Trio
CD
Transcriptions (Blue Note 60184)
Musicians:
Nat 'King' Cole (piano), Oscar Moore (guitar), Johnny Miller (bass).
Composed by Count Basie, Eddie Durham & Buster Smith
.Recorded: Los Angeles, April 25, 1946
Rating: 92/100 (learn more)
Nat King Cole must have been quite a Basie fan. The King Cole Trio had quite a few Basie tunes in its repertoire, and in its set of transcriptions for Capitol, there are versions of "Lester Leaps In", "Rock-A-Bye Basie", "Swingin' The Blues" and "One O'Clock Jump", The latter piece may be the best illustration of how Basie's style melded into bop. Cole was a proto-bopper at best, but his harmonic language was allied with the new music, and here, as Cole performs his best Basie imitation, we hear the spareness of Basie with richer chords than Basie would have played. Oscar Moore's guitar solo shows his roots to Charlie Christian, and Johnny Miller follows the example of Walter Page in walking a chorus under the light touch of his pianist/leader. There is an interesting mix of material in the closing riffs. The first chorus is an original line, supposedly designed by the trio but based on a line from the band arrangement, the second and third choruses are from the original band arrangement and the last is a boppish variation that moves the piece into a new harmonic direction. Basie was aware of the harmonic evolution that was occuring in the music at this time, but I wonder if ever heard this side, and if so, what he thought of it.
Reviewer: Thomas Cunniffe
Tags: 1940s jazz · one o'clock jump · piano
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