Members Of Atlanta’s Jazz Community Remember Freddy Cole

Freddy Cole died in June.

Nick Ut / Associated Press

Jazz vocalist and pianist Freddy Cole died on June 27. Cole was a world-renowned musician who distinguished himself from his older brother, Nat King Cole, with a down-to-earth demeanor on stage and by following his own musical path. Cole also called Atlanta home. To honor the life and legacy of Cole, five members of Atlanta’s jazz community shared what made Cole and his music special to them.

WABE’s H Johnson recounted a time when Cole called to ask about a song Johnson played on his weekly jazz program, Jazz Classics. Cole told him he had never heard the song, “But for Now,” and that he was going to put it on his next album.

Sure enough, Cole recorded the song and released it on the album “This Love of Mine.”