Nat King Cole, nguDaniel Mark Epstein. UFarrar, uStraus kunye neGiroux, amaphepha angama-438, ama-27 eedola.
Kwiinkwenkwezi ezazicula kakhulu zeminyaka yoo-1940 noo-50, inye kuphela – uNat King Cole- wasweleka esemncinci, eneminyaka engama-45. Kodwa ibali lakhe ayisiyiyo le ixhaphake kakhulu: iziqalo ezikhohlakeleyo, uloyiso olunzima, emva koko sela- okanye Intlungu ebangelwa ziziyobisi. Ukuqala kukaCole kwakukude nesordid-utata wakhe wayengumphathiswa, usapho luqinile kwaye lusondele; uloyiso (wabizwa njengesiganeko ngabakwishumi elivisayo) wayiphumelela nzima ngengqondo yokuba wasebenza nzima ukuyiphumeza; kwaye nangona wayekuthanda ukusela, kwaye wayenandipha abafazi abaninzi kunokuba wayetshatile, ekuphela kwento ayithandayo yayikukutshaya, okwambulala ngokuqinisekileyo njenge heroin ebulala uBillie Holiday. Kutheni, ke, ukuba ibali lakhe livakale inqaku lesilumkiso?
Ungazifumani iimpendulo kwi-biology ekhethekileyo kaDaniel Mark Epstein, uNat King Cole. Isilumkiso sombhali kuphela malunga nokutshaya – incwadi yakhe ibhalwe amaxesha amahle kwimbali yecuba. (Ngalo nyaka [1946] usokhemisi owayekhathazwa nguLorillard wabhala ileta eya kwikomiti yokuvelisa…). Nangona umnumzana u-Epstein enovelwano lokwenyani ngesihloko sakhe, elandelela umsebenzi wakhe kwaye angabhala ebalisa ngomculo wakhe, akaqali ukuqonda ubunzima kunye neentsimbi zobomi.
UCole waqala njenge-jazz piano prodigy eChicago, kwaye xa wayeneminyaka engama-20, ngo-1939, abathathu bakhe babedume; ngokukhanya kwakhe okukhohlisayo kunye nobuchule bepiyano, wayephezulu apho no-Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson. Kodwa ngokungafaniyo nabantu ababephila ngexesha lakhe, wayeka kwi-jazz ukuze azenzele njengemvumi eyaziwayo yothando lwe-ballad, ekunokwenzeka ukuba axhaswe liqabane leevayolin njenge-trio eguqukayo. Kwakungekho ndoda imnyama eyonwabisayo de uCole wakwazi ukwamkelwa ngale ndlela ngabaphulaphuli abamhlophe-uBilly Eckstine wayenyanisile ngesondo, uLouis Armstrong naye wayehlekisa. Ngokwahlukileyo, uCole wayenguNegro onyanisekileyo nothobekileyo amakhwenkwe amhlophe kunye namantombazana abanokuphumla ekwenziweni kwabo. Ungafowunela (Ndiyakuthanda) Ngenxa yeZizathu eziShukumisayo kunye neNdalo yoMfana ozukileyo okanye osisiyatha (okanye zombini), kodwa akunakubafumana besoyikisa.
Umfazi wesibini kaCole, uMaria, wayekhuliswe ngumakazi wakhe, utitshala owaziwayo kwilizwe lonke (uNat akazange agqibe kwisikolo samabanga aphakamileyo), kwaye uNat wothuswa bubuhle bakhe kunye nesitayile, iklasi yakhe; ngokukhawuleza, wohlukana nomfazi wakhe wokuqala, owayeneminyaka eli-10 ubudala. Ngokudibeneyo, uMaria noNat babe liqela eloyikekayo, kwaye udumo kunye nethamsanqa lakhe- kunye neminqweno yakhe- yakhula ngokukhawuleza. Kodwa xa wayefudukela kwilizwe lezolonwabo elalilawulwa ngabamhlophe, wajongana nezithintelo ezintathu ezoyikekayo. Olunye lwalubuhlanga obubomvu eMzantsi, kwaye wehlelwa ziziganeko ezihlazisayo ezamxelela nzulu ngaye. Olunye lwalulucalucalulo olukumgangatho ophezulu eCalifornia, apho abantu abazizityebi, abamhlophe bazama ngolunya (kwaye basilela) ukuthintela abakwaColes ekuthengeni indlu. Okokugqibela, kwabakho ukuwa komdlalo kamabonakude- owokuqala ukubonisa amagcisa amnyama. Abathengisi balked, kwaye inkqubo yahluthwa. Umnumzana u-Epstein unolwazi kwaye uyayiqonda le micimbi, nakwizikhundla zikaCole kwezopolitiko nakwezobuhlanga ngokubanzi.
Kwaye uyabona ukuba uCole waba yinkosi yobugcisa bokufihla. Ubuso awayebulungiselele ukujongana nabaphulaphuli bezigidi awabayalelayo ngoku yayisisigqubuthelo esifihla umsindo, uloyiko, lonke uhlobo lwenzondo, ingqumbo, nobukrakra… Amandla akhe alala koku kuzilungisa okunzima… Into angakwaziyo ukuyibona yile yokuba ukufihla okunjalo kubandakanya ukuzikhanyeza nokuzicokisa. Sinokuthelekelela kuphela ixabiso alihlawuleleyo uCole. (Omnye akothusi ukuba uMaria Cole uthi kunqabile ukuba athethe ngeemvakalelo zakhe.) UJackie Robinson wabonisa umsindo wakhe; USidney Poitier, naye. USammy Davis Omnci. Mhlawumbi u-Arthur Ashe, ngesidima nobabalo, wasondela kumzekelo kaCole, kwaye ukuba ibali lika-Ashe libonakala ngathi liyakhuthaza kunokuba lilumkise, kusenokwenzeka ukuba wayezilawula iimvakalelo zakhe kunokuba azikhanyele.
Zininzi iincwadi zangaphambili ezenziwa ngoCole, ingakumbi uHack's Leslie Gourse ongalibalekiyo ngo1991. Le ncwadi intsha inezinto ezininzi ezingathandekiyo, kodwa ukugqobhoza ayisiyiyo enye yazo: Umnumzana u-Epstein uzimisele kakhulu kwaye une-idiosyncratic yokuqonda ubukrelekrele obungaphezulu inyani yokwenyani. Uyathandeka kunokuba abe ne-glib: Emva koko aqalise kwi-chorus yesibini, ephaphazela phezulu kwaye ezantsi kwebhodibhodi njenge-skylark ebanjwe kwigreenhouse, engqubeka kwimida eqaqambileyo yobutsha bakhe. Ngokwesiqhelo, ucaphula engaphawulanga Intombi kaCole uCarol ekhumbula umnxeba ohlazayo utata wakhe awawenzayo kwinkampani erekhodiweyo awayeyigcinile: Isamkeli saphendula ngokuqaqambileyo, 'Iirekhodi zeCapitol, Ikhaya le Elvis! ' Kodwa umbhali kumculo odumileyo angazi njani ngobudlelwane buka-Elvis kunye ne-RCA Victor? Kwaye ukuba iirekhodi zeNat's Capitol zaba likhaya leeBeatles?
Ngokucacileyo, yonke le ncwadi yenziwe ngokukhawuleza okukhulu nakwizinto ezibhityileyo. Umnumzana u-Epstein ucaphula amanqaku amaphepha-ndaba kunye neemagazini, apho enze khona imephu yomsebenzi wobungcali kaCole. (Ukuyeka i-Trocadero, i-Trio yahamba ngendlela kwakhona-eMilwaukee, eChicago, eWashington, DC, New York, eBaltimore, ibuyela kwiRegal Theatre eChicago kwiveki ephelileyo ngoSeptemba, emva koko yaya eDetroit naseSt. ) Kodwa intliziyo yebhayiloji kufuneka ivele kwimithombo yobuqu engakumbi. Ngokwenqaku lale ncwadi, uMnu.Epstein wenza udliwanondlebe nabantu abangama-39 kuphela (uninzi lwabo lubambekile ebalini), abangama-32 kubo kanye nakuma-28 kubo phakathi kukaFebruwari no-Epreli ka-1998. Ndicinga ukuba wadibana neengxaki nosapho, kuba Nangona ekhankanya udliwanondlebe noMaria Cole, wabona intombi kaCole eyaziwayo uNatalie kube kanye, wathetha kube kanye, ngomnxeba, komnye wabantakwabo bakaNat, uIsaac, nakwenye, imvumi nepiyano ehlonitshwa kakhulu uFreddy Cole, hayi kukonke. Akukwamkelwa nokuhamba kancinci kukaNat kusapho lwakhe- yayingeyiyo i-jazz kuphela apho yena noMaria babephume ecaleni ekunyukeni kwakhe besiya kwindawo yesiqhelo. Akumangalisi ukuba uNat afe isiqaqa emngcwabeni kanina. Ngelixa uMaria esixelela: Khange ndiye emngcwabeni, ngenxa yesizathu esithile…
Mhlawumbi ukungxama eyabhalwa ngayo le ncwadi kuchaza iprozi. Ngamanye amaxesha isitayile esingaqhelekanga: UTimmie [Rogers] wayengusomaqhula wokuqala omnyama ukujongana nabaphulaphuli kwituxedo. Nat wayemthanda. UTimmie uxelele umhlobo wakhe ukuba wenza kakuhle. Bobabini babengabaxhasi be-G.A.C. (Oko kukuthi, iarhente yeTalente yeArhente yamaGcisa Jikelele). Xa ndafika kwiisemicolon ezimbalwa ezinzulu encwadini, ndawela kubo njengendlala elambileyo. Ngamanye amaxesha iprozi iyajika ibe phezulu (Ewe, abafazi babeqale ukukhwaza uNat King Cole njengoko babekhwaza u-Orpheus waseThrace noFrank Sinatra waseHoboken) okanye abantu (Nokuba yeyiphi na idubulo lehormoni awayelenzele ukubala kwamadlozi kunye neentambo zakhe, Ngokuqinisekileyo wayechaphazele iinwele zomzimba wakhe). Umnumzana u-Epstein ugxile kwi-hyperbole (uCole kunye [nomqhubi uPete] Rugolo bebonke benze ubugcisa, ingoma yobugcisa enokuthelekiswa neyona ibalaseleyo ka-Hugo Wolf no-Gustav Mahler) nakwi-cliché (abantu babhala iingoma; izinto zikhangela zonke umhlaba njengezinye izinto). Uyakonwabela ukujongana nomfundi ngqo: Kwaye wenza ntoni uMaria? Wenza nawuphi na umfazi onekratshi, onomsindo wabantwana abahlanu kunye nemali ethile ayenzayo xa umyeni wakhe ecinga ukumshiya kwelinye ibhinqa… waqesha umphandi wabucala ... olona hlaziyo lukhulu…; Ngokwenyani, imeko yayo yeWeltschmertz… Ngenene, wayephi umhleli kaMnu.
Ngamanye amaxesha uMnu.Epstein ubeka iingcinga kunye nemvakalelo- isifo saseDatshi? - njengakule ndlela maudlin incopho: Ixesha lokugqibela [uNat] anokukhumbula ukonwaba kwigumbi elimanzi ilanga eFairmont Hotel nentombazana entle, nangaphandle ifestile yabo ibengezela kwizinyuko zegolide zaseSan Francisco ezazikhokelela elwandle. Wayeneengcinga zobomi kuphela, ngakumbi nangakumbi ngobomi babo bobabini, kunye nomnqweno wakhe ngekamva ulele naye. Oku kuqulunqiweyo kweentsuku zokugqibela zikaCole kubhekisa kwintombazana encinci yaseSweden awayethandana nayo kwaye enethemba lokutshata. Esinye isenzo sokuhamba? Esinye isenzo sokukhanyela? Ngokuqinisekileyo, enye into ebhaliweyo yobubi.
Ngubani uDaniel Mark Epstein? Uvelise imiqulu emithandathu yemibongo kunye nemidlalo emithathu, eguqulelwe nguPlautus noEuripides (kakuhle) kwaye wabhala ngobomi bomvangeli onguAimée Semple McPherson. Unomdla kwaye uneenjongo ezintle. Kodwa wayengenguye umntu obhala i-biography eqinisekisayo kaCole, loo ndoda inomdla, inetalente, inzima kwaye iyintlekele eyayithandwa zizigidi kodwa yayinokuphawula kwintatheli, andinakukubona.
