NEW VINYL ANNOUNCEMENT
NAT KING COLE - PENTHOUSE SERENADE
70TH ANNIVERSARY AUDIONAUTES ONE-STEP EDITION
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Before Nat King Cole became one of the most recognisable and beloved voices of the 20th century, he was already recognised by fellow musicians as an exceptional jazz pianist.
Penthouse Serenade returns the spotlight to that side of his artistry.
AudioNautes Recordings now presents this sophisticated Capitol classic as a numbered, all-analogue 45 RPM mono edition - pressed on 180-gram crystal-coloured vinyl and strictly limited to only 450 copies worldwide.
This is not simply another reissue. It is a carefully conceived audiophile celebration of Nat King Cole the pianist: elegant, rhythmically assured, melodically generous and effortlessly refined.
THE ALBUM
Originally released by Capitol as an eight-track 10-inch LP in September 1952, Penthouse Serenade was created after Cole had formally disbanded his celebrated trio and shifted his attention towards vocal popular music.
For these intimate instrumental sessions, Cole returned to the piano alongside:
🎸 John Collins — guitar
🎻 Charlie Harris — double bass
🥁 Norris “Bunny” Shawker — drums
When the 12-inch LP became the dominant format, Cole reunited with Collins and Harris in 1955, with Lee Young—brother of tenor-saxophone legend Lester Young—on drums. Four additional performances completed the familiar 12-track edition.
The result is a collection of standards that seems to inhabit its own private, after-hours world: urbane without becoming formal, romantic without sentimentality and technically brilliant without unnecessary display.
AllMusic describes the original set as quiet and reflective, observing that it proved Cole had lost none of his ability at the piano despite his enormous success as a singer.
THE SOUND OF NAT KING COLE AT THE PIANO
Cole’s instrumental style shares many qualities with his singing. His phrasing is conversational, his melodic instinct is immaculate and his touch has a graceful buoyancy that makes even the most familiar standard sound freshly considered.
He does not overwhelm these songs with virtuosity. Instead, he shapes them.
On “Laura,” the melody appears almost suspended in the room, supported by discreet guitar chords and a beautifully controlled bass line. “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” becomes a miniature study in tenderness, while “Somebody Loves Me” reveals Cole’s impeccable swing and lightness of touch.
The title performance establishes the album’s atmosphere immediately: lights below the window, a piano in the room and the city settling into the night.
A recent retrospective awarded the album a B+ and praised Cole as an elegant melodist who favoured tender simplicity over technical showmanship - particularly highlighting “Laura” and “I Surrender Dear.”
One AllMusic listener went even further, describing it as the finest album of Cole’s career and celebrating its enduring atmosphere of elegance, luxury and mid-century romance.
THE MUSICIANS
John Collins was an ideal musical partner for Cole. His guitar playing is concise and harmonically sophisticated, filling the spaces around the piano without competing for attention. Collins would also work with major figures including Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan.
Charlie Harris provides the quartet’s quiet centre of gravity. His warm, rounded bass gives the music definition without disturbing its relaxed character.
Bunny Shawker’s drumming is correspondingly restrained: brushes, cymbal colour and understated pulse rather than overt display. His wider career included associations with artists such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.
Lee Young, heard on the four selections added in 1955, brings a similarly sympathetic approach. The personnel may change, but the intimate character remains beautifully consistent.
THE AUDIONAUTES ONE-STEP VINYL EDITION
AudioNautes founder Fabio Camorani confirmed that the label secured the rights to reissue Penthouse Serenade as part of its programme of AAA, fully analogue, 45 RPM One-Step releases. He characterised the original as an especially “tube-like” recording - an excellent candidate for a carefully produced analogue edition.
The new edition is specified as:
◆ Fully analogue AAA remaster
◆ Mastered from the original analogue tapes
◆ 45 RPM mono presentation
◆ One-Step plating process
◆ 180-gram crystal-coloured vinyl
◆ Pressed by Optimal Media in Germany
◆ Individually numbered
◆ Limited to only 450 copies
◆ Catalogue number: AN-2519
◆ Scheduled to ship in September 2026
In conventional record production, multiple plating generations may separate the lacquer from the final pressing stamper. A One-Step process removes intermediate stages, allowing the record to be pressed from a stamper made directly from the lacquer. The intention is to minimise generational loss and preserve more of the musical information cut into the original lacquer.
At 45 RPM, the groove travels past the stylus more quickly than at 33⅓ RPM. When properly mastered, this can assist transient definition, high-frequency clarity and dynamic expression—valuable qualities for reproducing the natural attack and decay of Cole’s piano.
Current retailer information lists the release for preorder and limits purchases to one copy per customer and address, underlining its genuinely restricted production.
TRACKLIST
SIDE A
1. Penthouse Serenade (When We’re Alone)
2. Somebody Loves Me
3. Laura
4. Once in a Blue Moon
5. Don’t Blame Me
6. Little Girl
SIDE B
1. Polka Dots and Moonbeams
2. Down by the Old Mill Stream
3. If I Should Lose You
4. Rose Room
5. I Surrender Dear
6. It Could Happen to You
EDITORIAL VERDICT
Penthouse Serenade is an album of atmosphere rather than spectacle.
Its magic lies in the balance between Cole’s polished technique and the music’s apparent effortlessness. Every phrase feels poised; every accompaniment is chosen with taste. There is swing here, but it never raises its voice. There is romance, but it never becomes theatrical.
For listeners who know Nat King Cole principally through “Unforgettable,” “Mona Lisa” or “L-O-V-E,” this recording provides an essential reminder: the famous singer was also one of the defining jazz pianists of his generation.
The AudioNautes edition appears ideally designed to reveal the qualities that matter most in this music - the weight and resonance of the piano, the woody presence of the bass, the delicacy of the guitar, the quiet pulse of the drums and the warm mono image binding the ensemble together.
With only 450 numbered copies planned, this is likely to become both a reference-quality listening edition and a desirable Nat King Cole collectible.
Most importantly, however, the record gives us an opportunity to hear Cole in an intimate musical setting where elegance is not decoration—it is the language of the performance.
⭐ MUSIC: 5/5
⭐ PERFORMANCE: 5/5
⭐ HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE: 5/5
⭐ AUDIOPHILE SPECIFICATION: Exceptional
⭐ COLLECTOR APPEAL: Extremely High
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Do you prefer Nat King Cole as a singer - or as a jazz pianist?
Which performance would you play first: “Laura,” “Polka Dots and Moonbeams,” “I Surrender Dear,” or the beautiful title track?
And for an intimate mono recording such as this, would you choose the new One-Step vinyl, an original Capitol pressing, UHQCD - or master reel tape?
Share your thoughts and favourite Nat King Cole recording below.
