EOIDNA/ NI/ Listening
PART 3
You are going to listen to THE NAT KING COLE STORY. For questions 1- 5, choose the
option a, b or c that best completes the sentence, as in the example (0-a). You will
hear the recording twice.
Example (0):
How is Nat Cole defined in the introduction?
A. One of the most popular singers of our era
B. Nat Cole has been forgotten.
C. He was somewhat successful in his own time.
1. Why is/was Nat King Cole important to blacks?
A. He was politically involved.
B. He opened the ground for other black musicians.
C. Only blacks liked his music.
2. What was Nat Cole’s 1948 hit on the charts?
A. The Nat Cole album
B. Nature Boy
C. Christmas Song
3. The presenter says that in 1948 Nat Cole…
A. had just began his career.
B. was already a star.
C. became famous overnight.
4. What date is the song we hear with the bongo player?
A. In 1948
B. In 1959
C. In 1949
5. Once he became successful, Nat Cole…
A. did not worry about arrangements for his music.
B. had the chance to work with the best arrangers.
C. soon stopped working.
© NPR Radio
EOIDNA/ NI/ Listening
KEY TO NAT COLE
1B/2B/ 3B/ 4C/ 5B
Track 12: TAPESCRIPT NI P3 NAT KING COLE
[Music heard]
That voice, a subtle balance of grace and rhythmic daring, belongs to one of the most popular
singers of our time: Nat King Cole. His individual sound developed during his more than two
decades as an influential pianist and leader of his own trio. And his own unparallel success as
a vocalist gave him the chance to break ground for other black entertainers. I’m Nancy Wilson
and this is “Jazz Profiles”.
On this show, the second of two parts, we pay tribute to Nat King Cole, the jazz singer and
artist.
By 1948 Nat King Cole was a star. That year, his song ‘Nature Boy’ was no. 1 on the billboard
pop charts. This was no overnight success; it was the product of many years of creative
growth working primarily with his Nat King Cole Trio. The Trio set the standard
for the small group jazz sound for the late 30s throughout the 40s.
By then Nat Cole was trying to find new ways to try to expand upon the combination of piano,
guitar and bass. When he added the bongo player Jack Constanzo to the Trio, the result was
an even stronger emphasis on the rhythmic pulse in the music. Here’s Nat King Cole plus Trio
in 1949 [music].
Nat King Cole and Trio with ‘Yes, sir. That’s my baby’.
With stardom achieved, Nat had access to the best arrangers. He worked with a number of
them to create distinctive backgrounds for his increasing popular music. The arranger Pete
Rubello worked for many years with the Stan Kent Orchestra and was one of the first to work
with Nat Cole:
“He liked a good jazz band in those days…”