He’s Nat “King” Cole’s brother and he’s perfectly happy to be thought of that way. His voice is a lot like his brother’s, or more precisely it sounds like Nat would have sounded as an octogenarian, which Freddy now is. Freddy is currently performing with his quartet at Birdland (with saxophonist Joel Frahm along for the ride) , and the sound they produce is much like Nat’s early 1940s trio – except that it’s fuller, of course, and has strong veins of post-1940s sounds, especially bebop and bossa nova.

The repertoire Cole plays leans heavily on vocal jazz recordings by himself, Nat and others, with only a handful of recognizable standards. The quartet’s rendition of Nat’s “Jet, My Love” is particularly great, alive with syncopation, and packed with adventurous solos for every last member, Frahm particularly showing off with some pyrotechnics. The best-known standard they play is “Sometimes I’m Happy (Sometimes I’m Blue)” which Freddy associates with Count Basie.

This show also features a handful of holiday songs, most entertainingly Freddy’s own “Jingle, the Christmas Cat” and a mellow take on “Blue Christmas.” Throughout, Cole’s sophisticated vocals effortlessly bring out the melancholy in the ballads, and a sunshine warmth in the uptempo numbers. Recommended.

For tickets, click here.

To learn about Jonathan Warman’s directing work, see jonathanwarman.com.