7:15 pm | Presented by noted cultural critic and raconteur Will Friedwald

The screening of rare video performance clips of Nat “King” Cole will be narrated by veteran musical historian and author Will Friedwald. Friedwald is a noted jazz and pop music critic and author of nine books on jazz and popular music. This is the second in a series of local presentations by Friedwald, who narrated a clip show called “Louis Armstrong Duets” at the Rosendale Theatre last October.

Nat “King” Cole was famed for his recordings as a silken-voiced singer. His hits in the 1940s and 1950s included “For Sentimental Reasons,” “Unforgettable,” “Mona Lisa,” and the novelty number, “Straighten Up and Fly Right.” Cole began his career in the 1930s as a jazz pianist and the lead of the King Cole Trio. He was one of the first black performers to have his own radio show, and was the first black host of a TV variety hour, but bigotry limited his career. A pioneer in entertainment, Cole paved the way for mainstream black performers in the United States.

A Tribute to Nat King Cole host Will Friedwald is a popular public speaker. His video clip shows at Lincoln Center and the 92nd Street Y in New York City are legendary among jazz and pop music fans. Friedwald writes about music and popular culture for The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair and Playboy.

Friedwald’s books on jazz and popular music include the award-winning A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, Sinatra: The Song is You; Stardust Melodies; Tony Bennett: The Good Life; Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies; and Jazz Singing. He has written over 600 liner notes for compact discs, received ten Grammy nominations, and appears frequently on television and in documentaries.

Rosendale Theatre is proud to present Friedwald’s second appearance in the Hudson Valley as part of its Music Fan Film Series. Since 2014, Rosendale Theatre’s Music Fan Film Series has curated and presented documentaries, feature films and concert films, ranging from rock to blues to jazz to classical and Broadway. Screenings have included the classic Ornette Coleman film Made in America, The Wrecking Crew, Amy, The Amazing Nina Simone, Eight Days a Week, Yo-Yo Ma’s Music of Strangers, and The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith.

The curators of the Music Fan Film Series invite you to see these films on a big screen, with big sound, surrounded by people who love music just as much as you do.

Rosendale Theatre, a classic one-screen, 260-seat movie theater and performance venue, is located at 408 Main Street in Rosendale, New York. A Tribute to Nat King Cole marks the 49th film in the Music Fan Film Series, the unique curated film and music lovers’ program.