sentim3ntalmood

[sentim3ntalmood]

when first we met

i felt my life was such a bore

when first we met

each day i lived was such a chore

going to work and coming home

each day i'm all alone

but now things have changed for me

when first we met

the thrill of seeing you each day

we found such joy

we'd be together come what may

all the movies we would share

we looked the perfect pair

at last what i sought was mine

but then came the time

we would quarrel a lot

we fought and loved and fought each day

i knew we were good together

but that was not enough

to keep the love like

when we first met

there were no problems we could see

when first we met

we were as happy as can be

but those days are far behind

we know love is not blind

it's over, it's gone, goodbye

it's too bad, though we tried

romance slipped away once more

[sentim3ntalmood]

I'll always love you, and want you too. How much, you'll never know. Most of all, I miss you so, I'll always love you. I miss you so.

The first post on this blog will be for the king of 20th century pop music— Nat King Cole. Nat King Cole was the first and now longest-running jazz musician to hold a special place in my heart, since my great grandma was his biggest fan.

Nat King Cole exists in most memories as the singer to The Christmas Song (chestnuts roasting on an open fiiire), but less people know he's a pianist as well, even jazz musicians. When I show people his work with the Nat King Cole Trio, they ask me who the pianist is and I still get responses of surprise that they "didn't know he also played piano." I reply with "he was a pianist first and a singer second, too."

It's a shame, really. His gentle style of soloing moves me in ways that the most technically skilled pianists in the world couldn't achieve, just because of the emotion it can convey. His careful, floating comping makes a ballad so listenable, and he was so worthy of that recognition from the jazz community and from the general public.

At the same time, I understand why his voice *became* Nat King Cole. Listening to Nat King Cole makes you feel less alone, like you can so easily relate to what he's singing. His voice convinces me that what he's singing is true, even when he didn't personally experience whatever exactly he was singing about, and even if I haven't experienced what he's singing about. His voice feels like reassurance, like a nice cool pillow to rest your head on.