Nature Boy

The song Nature Boy, composed by Eden Ahbez, began its life in the hands of singer/pianist Nat 'King' Cole with his August 1947 recording (released in 1948). Based on the success of the recording, singers Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan also cut sides shortly thereafter. The tune has been covered over 500 times by artists such as Miles Davis, Bobby Darin, John Coltrane, Clifford Brown, Bill Evans, and this arrangement by Manny Albam recorded by the Terry Gibbs Dream Band in 1961. The Dream Band was featured at the Summit Club in Los Angeles on Friday and Saturday nights April 6 and 7, 1962. This arrangement, recorded during this engagement, is an all-out vibes feature. Albam does a masterful job of providing evocative harmonic movement that fits the feel of the song. There is an 8-bar section where the tempo is doubled - this is not just a double time feel as all the note values are halved (i.e., eighth notes are played as sixteenths). The arrangement settles back down to ballad tempo and the band shout leads to an open vibraphone cadenza.