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Vocalist and bandleader Stella Heath is set to perform a variety of songs of Nat King Cole’s early career at Pleasanton’s Firehouse Arts Center this month.
The “Stella Meets Nat” project is accompanied by a swinging trio, itself a tribute to the famous King Cole Trio that performed with the legendary musician between 1937 and 1951.
Heath explained in a recent interview that the original trio’s instrumentation was made up of just bass, piano and guitar – no drums. “It was pretty unique for that time,” Heath said, adding that Cole himself was “as good of a pianist, if not better, than a vocalist.”
She continued, “Of course he became a popular vocalist and solo performer and that’s really what he’s known for, but as a pianist he was up there with the greats, really.”
The “Stella Meets Nat” performance is set for next Friday (Feb. 16) at 8 p.m. in downtown Pleasanton.
Heath is no stranger to using her own talents to amplify the works of the trailblazers who came before her. She previously performed with a quintet at the Firehouse as the Billie Holiday Project.
“It helps me to kind of take a certain artist and delve into their early work and the things that inspired them and then kind of expose people to the parts that they might not know,” Heath said.
While she said she plays some instruments herself for fun, she considers herself more of a vocalist and she enjoys performing with other musicians.
Heath said her love of jazz was first sparked as a child, being exposed to various styles of music by her mother.
“When I first started listening to it, I really was first kind of drawn to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and there was something about listening to jazz and improvised music that I just felt like it was part of my DNA. I just really, really deeply connected with it and it’s kind of been something that I’ve carried with me,” she said.
“I’m trying to be somewhat of an advocate for it being a great American art form and holding it up as such,” Heath said of the jazz genre.
The trio accompanying Heath for “Stella Meets Nat” includes San Francisco guitarist-historian-writer Nick Rossi, who will also share some historical information in between songs during the show.
“He’s an incredible historian about all different kinds of genres of jazz but specifically the swing era and he’s really inspired by the guitar player who played with Nat King Cole, Oscar Moore, so he just has this vast knowledge of the trio and of those years of Nat’s life,” Heath said of Rossi.
“It adds so much to the show to have this really deep historical knowledge as a part of it,” she added.
The other band members include Heath’s longtime friends and collaborators Neil Fontano on piano and Daniel Fabricant playing bass.
As the timing of the show lands during Black History Month, Heath said that she believes Black history shouldn’t be reserved for one month but rather celebrated and incorporated into U.S. culture all year long. However, she said she recognizes the opportunity to use the cultural heritage month to shed light on the legacies of Black Americans, like Cole.
“Nat was an incredible performer and it’s great to be able to show a little bit more about his life that people often don’t know about,” Heath said.
She noted that while her set will definitely include some of the obscure songs from Cole’s catalog, there will also be songs that are more recognizable including “Route 66”, “The Frim Fram Sauce” and “Nature Boy.”
Heath said her prior experience performing at the Firehouse was positive and the audience was “lovely,” which makes her look forward to her upcoming return to the venue.
“I remember going out into the audience afterwards and meeting some of the folks and they were just so kind and really appreciative of the music,” she said.
With the Firehouse’s new temporary cabaret-style seating arrangement, Heath expects the setup to work well for her show as the entire band is used to playing at all different types of venues. “Sometimes concert venue seating is nice and sometimes cabaret seating is nice, but it works either way,” she said.
Tickets and more information about the show can be found at firehousearts.org.