Occidental hosts tribute to legendary Nat King Cole

Singer Stella Heath is only 35. One of her most ardently admired jazz heroes died in 1965, more than two decades before she was born, but for her, the music of Nat King Cole is timeless.

The Sebastopol singer is so committed to Cole’s music that she’ll devote an entire concert to his work later this month.

“I gravitate toward the jazz of the ’30s and ’40s,” Heath said. “I think there is something about the danceability of the music in that earlier era, before jazz got heavier. There’s a quirky humor to it.”

Heath fronts a band including San Francisco-based guitarist and historian Nick Rossi, who will offer insights and context for the songs played during her tribute to Cole at the Occidental Center for the Arts.

“There are a lot of historical facts that Nick will share during the show,” Heath said. “Nat King Cole’s career is interesting because he was an incredible pianist, to start with. Then came the formation of the Nat King Cole Trio. Later on in his career, he went solo and was considered more of a vocalist.”

Heath’s band also features Neil Angelo Fontano of Petaluma on piano and Mikiya Matsuda of San Francisco on bass, but there is no drummer.

“The unique thing about the Nat King Cole Trio was that it was drumless,” Heath said. “But it was super-swinging and had super rhythms.”

Many still remember Cole’s most popular songs, including “Mona Lisa” from 1950, “Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer” in 1963 and “Unforgettable” from 1951, which reemerged in 1991 as a posthumous, technically enhanced duet with his daughter Natalie Cole.

But in the 20 or so songs chosen for her show, Heath will focus on Cole’s earlier tunes, including “Straighten Up and Fly Right” from 1944, “The Frim Fram Sauce” from 1945 and “Route 66” from 1946.

“The music we’re presenting is from the earlier side of his career,” Heath said. “A lot of the music is fairly obscure. I think there are so many people who say, ‘I love Nat King Cole,’ but they’re thinking of his later solo career. Discovering the origins of his music can deepen people’s appreciation.”

While the songs have a long history, Heath’s creation of the concert program was relatively recent.

“This show is pretty new,” Heath said. “We’ve done just two performances of this material, in San Francisco and Healdsburg.”

Heath considers preserving and promoting Cole’s earlier work an important mission.

“He was not so smooth and polished then, and he was more simple in his presentation. But he had a way of connecting to a song emotionally,” she explained. “He brought it to life.”

Cole’s legacy goes far beyond “Mona Lisa” and his later hits, and his influence reaches far beyond the jazz genre, Heath said.

“I listen to a lot of interviews with musicians,” she said, “and it’s amazing how many rock ‘n’ roll, R&B and blues musicians cite Nat King Cole as their model.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.