Cole Tries to Step Out of King-Size Shadow

The dilemma facing Freddy Cole becomes immediately apparent every time he sits down at the piano and begins to play and sing. It’s called Nat King Cole. The uncanny vocal similarities between older and younger siblings have made it extremely difficult for Freddy Cole, who is Nat’s junior by 12 years, to receive the attention that his talents warrant.

Cole didn’t get around to addressing that dilemma in his performance at the Cal State Northridge Performing Arts Center on Sunday until the end of his set. Singing the humorous “I’m Not My Brother, I’m Me,” he made a jovial effort to deal with the situation directly. Unfortunately, he also somewhat undercut that effort by adding a medley of his brother’s tunes that included such mega-hits as “Mona Lisa,” “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Sweet Lorraine.”

All of which simply tended to underscore Cole’s dilemma. But the fact is that the vocal resemblance to his brother is considerably modified, even enhanced, by his own sound’s rougher, somewhat more emotionally edgy qualities. Blessed with the attractive appeal of what clearly seems to be a Cole family vocal quality, his singing adds an easygoing connection with the blues and a briskly swinging approach to phrasing.

Working at CSUN with the fine backing of guitarist Jerry Byrd (who handled most of the instrumental solo chores), bassist Zachary Pride and drummer Curtis Boyd, Cole devoted the opening half of his program to a mixed bag of less frequently heard standards such as “It’s Crazy,” “Them There Eyes,” “Invitation” and “Love Walked In.”

Cole punched out the words in an instrumentalist’s fashion, rarely holding notes, phrasing his lines to produce the most effective rendering of the songs’ stories. His piano playing was serviceable if not especially intriguing, working best when he used it to counter and punctuate his singing.

In the second half of the bill, he moved more firmly into the blues orbit--a familiar and compatible arena for him--adding a few Brazilian songs from his new album, “Rio de Janeiro Blue.” The results were equally engaging, especially during a seductive rendering of Oscar Brown Jr.’s lyrics for Luiz Bonfa’s classic “Manha de Carnaval.”

By the time he was finished, it was hard to avoid the thought that Cole’s dilemma is the jazz world’s dilemma. At a time when male jazz vocal artists are in short supply, he has all the qualities required to rise to the top of the genre. One can only hope that the pleasures of the Cole family sound, combined with the unique talents of the Freddy Cole manner, will energize that ascent.