Word: nats
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Though his ability to wrap his voice around a romantic lyric arguably ranked him near Elvis, Sinatra and Lady Day, the pop balladeer (and jazz pianist) Nat King Cole is unfortunately perhaps best remembered today as Natalie's dad. Epstein's insightful new book--best read while listening to Cole's rereleased album The Christmas Song--should remedy things. The biographer sometimes digs too deep into esoterica, spending pages analyzing the lyrics of Straighten Up and Fly Right, for example. But when he recounts the singer's personal struggles, including a shocking 1956 onstage kidnapping attempt by Alabama racists...
...Columbus, Ohio. Initially tagged "Sweetie Pie" by saxophonist Lester Young in the 1930s and finally just "Sweets," Edison had a warm, soft trumpet sound that was beloved by bands and singers. He worked with everyone from Count Basie (with whom he played for 12 years) to Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra...
...street by California guitarist Ry Cooder, who invited him to sing on a new album he was producing, Buena Vista Social Club. That record became a surprise hit in America, in no small part because of Ferrer's expert work, and led to this, his solo debut. "The Cuban Nat King Cole," as Cooder calls him, now savors a sweet, unexpected stardom. Says he: "I've been able to fix up my house a little." Ferrer is 72, and his voice lacks the strength it once had, but its power is undiminished. "I don't want the flowers to know...
...were getting nowhere. My son's game habit was resisting all the negative reinforcement I could dish out. In fact, the habit was awesome to behold. Nat would arrive home from school and be drawn, as if by some tractor beam, straight to the den. When his friends were present, there was a nearly indecipherable babble: "Hit Bongo Bongo with the ice arrows." "Switch to the Biggoron sword." "Use the Lens of Truth...
...said one day, show me Zelda. Nat grinned. And like a giddy tour guide, he showed me Princess Zelda's kingdom. "You gotta see this. Look what happens when you go to the Temple of Time. Check out the graphics when you use the light arrows." The game, as it turned out, was a synthesis of Arthurian legend, Tolkien mythology and Marvel comic books. It was devilishly difficult. Besides mastering arcane weapons (no blood, though), he had to memorize different sequences of tones--magic songs that transported the hero. There were puzzles to solve, strategies to plot...