Freddy Cole

It’s never easy being the younger brother of a star, but when that brother happens to be a legendary icon named Nat “King” Cole, there is a gigantic shadow to get out from under. Twelve years younger than Nat, Freddy Cole had a modest hit in the early 1950s and has slowly been building his audience ever since. Now 75, this singer-pianist has fans from Brazil to Japan, and a couple of dozen recordings in his catalogue. Freddy is a great performer, but he’s also a musician’s musician: the likes of Ruth Brown, Jimmy Scott, Abbey Lincoln, Betty Carter and Joe Williams sing his praises. Juilliard trained and influenced by Oscar Peterson and Teddy Wilson, Freddy plays with a special elegance and character, and sings in a suave, expressively smoky voice that swings harder than his brother’s ever did. We are thrilled to present such a brilliant musician in his Victoria debut. Freddy will be appearing with Royce Campell guitar, Elias Baily bass, Curtis Boyd drums.