Cozy Cole was a free-wheeling drummer who made his mark in the world of jazz with some of the top bands of the 1930s and 40s. He continued to perform into the 70s in a variety of settings, alongside names like Jonah Jones, Stuff Smith, and Cab Calloway. Because of his aggressive style, Cole is often cited as an influence by many of our contemporary rock drummers.
In my “What About Dat” page here at Mark of Jazz, I talk about one music genre crossing over to another. There is probably no better example than Cozy Cole’s 1958 hit recordings of Topsy Part 1 that made it to #27 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Topsy Part 2 that made it all the way to #3 … #1 on the Billboard Rhythm & Blues Chart, staying atop the latter for six weeks! The original version of both tunes can be heard below, with a wonderfully laid back after hours jam session inbetween. It begins with some simple blues, culminating with Coleman Hawkins joining Cole and the quartet for a captivating rendition of Lover Man (Where Can You Be). The players are Cozy Cole (d), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Johnny Guarnieri (p), Barry Galbraith (g), and Milt Hinton (b).
