Nat King Cole : Penthouse Serenade - UHQ CD, Mono & Duophonic, Numbered, Remastered

Just one year after Nat King Cole disbanded his trio and turned his attention to vocal pop music, he went into the studio to record Penthouse Serenade – a quiet, thoughtful instrumental album of standards that the legendary singer recorded with John Collins (guitar), Charlie Harris (bass) and Bunny Shawker (drums), with Jack Costanzo providing percussion support. Produced by Lee Gillette, the album was originally released in September 1952 as a 10-inch LP on Capitol Records. The album confirmed that Nat King Cole, despite his commercial success in the vocal genre, was still an exceptionally talented pianist. In 1955, as the 12-inch LP increasingly dominated the market, Cole recorded four more tracks with Collins, Harris and drummer Lee Young (Lester Young's brother) to release a reissue of Penthouse Serenade, now with 12 tracks – Cole's first full-length LP.

In response to popular demand, AudioNautes Recordings is now presenting the sonically impressive reissue of the 1955 Capitol Records pressing as a UHQCD, which includes both the original mono recordings and the later Duophonic stereo versions. Enjoy “Nat King Cole At The Piano: Penthouse Serenade” in sound quality never heard before – and hurry! This limited edition will sell out fast!

MUSICIANS

Nat King Cole: piano, vocals
John Collins: guitar
Charlie Harris: bass
Bunny Shawker, Lee Young: drums
Jack Costanzo: percussion

UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to the softer photopolymer for scratch protection. The combination results in significantly reduced reflection of laser light inside the CD and an unmatched precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with standard CD players. Musically, the result is a sound image strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.