Nat Gonella - Confessin' [CD]

It was when he joined the Billy Cotton Band in 1930 that Nat, aged 22, made it to the 'big-time'. He progressed to working with Roy Fox then Lew Stone, and finally took the plunge in 1935 with his own jazz group, the Georgians. Until the outbreak of war, they were very popular and recorded for Parlophone. The New Georgians, with a different personnel, recorded intermittently for Columbia between 1940 and 1942. The three tracks (where Nat reverts to the pre-war name of the Georgians) and which open this collection were made for Decca in 1945. Recordings were very thin on the ground over the next few years, and by the early 50s Nat was appearing as a solo turn in variety theatres and nightclubs. Happily, Nat re-emerged on the jazz scene toward the end of the decade, and began recording again. The first group of recordings by the Georgia Jazz Band include trombonist Roy Crimmins, clarinetist Archie Semple and pianist Fred Hunt amongst the personnel. The Strong Arm Men recordings and the final group by the Georgia Jazz Band feature the two Lennies: Felix on piano and Hasting on drums. When It's Sleepy Time Down South showcases Nat in duet with Lennie Felix. Although Nat hung up his trumpet for good in the 1970s, he carried on singing in his own inimitable style. He guested with several distinguished jazz musicians and combos in Holland and all over the United Kingdom until shortly before his death at the grand old age of ninety in 1998.