Nat King Cole – After Midnight: the Complete Sessions (2xLP, Mono, Blue Note Tone Poet)

Nat King Cole's After Midnight: The Complete Sessions captures a crucial return to jazz in 1956, gathering the full Capitol Studios recordings from four dates in August and September of that year. By this point Cole was widely known as a singer, but these sessions put him back at the piano with his working trio—guitarist John Collins, bassist Charlie Harris, and drummer Lee Young—and show how naturally his vocal elegance and keyboard touch still belonged inside a small-group setting.

What makes After Midnight so rewarding is the balance between polish and looseness. Cole turns the trio's graceful swing into something closer to an after-hours jam session, with guests including Harry “Sweets” Edison, Willie Smith, Stuff Smith, Juan Tizol, and Jack Costanza adding distinct colours without crowding the mood. Songs such as “Just You, Just Me,” “Caravan,” and “Route 66” underline the album's range, moving easily from relaxed sophistication to more open, improvising interplay.

This expanded complete edition presents the full session story across 2xLP, including later-discovered material and an alternate take of “You're Looking at Me.” For vinyl, it also arrives as a particularly thoughtful Blue Note Tone Poet release: a mono cut from the original analog master tapes, produced by Joe Harley and mastered by Kevin Gray, with the kind of presentation that suits one of Cole's most satisfying late-1950s jazz statements.

Features

• 2xLP, 180g, Mono, Blue Note Tone Poet Series
• Mastered from the original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
• Produced by Joe Harley
• Pressed at RTI
• Deluxe tip-on gatefold jacket with booklet, essay by Will Friedwald, and rare archival photos

Reviews

• It's hard for any Nat King Cole fan to ignore these important sessions. - AllMusic.com