Holly Cole Trio - Montreal Live

2021 release

Released as a single“Whatever Lola Wants” is a version of a show tune from Damned Yankees. The musical opened on Broadway in 1955 and is a song only Holly and the band could find and so successfully contemporize. Holly states, “the moment I heard “Whatever Lola Wants” I knew it was perfect for us. Sexy, provocative, enigmatic and completely open to interpretation.”

Back in the Spring of 2019, Holly Cole, in recognition and celebration of the 40th anniversary of Le Festival International de Jazz de Montreal decided to reform the original Holly Cole Trio, including David Pitch on Bass and Aaron Davis on Piano to perform live in the very intimate cabaret “Lion D’Or, during the Festival de Jazz, July 2-5. It’s been over two decades since the band performed live as the Holly Cole Trio and these very special performances would bring back many memories of superlative Trio performances in Montreal at the old Club Soda, Spectrum and Place Des Arts.

The Holly Cole Trio recorded together under that name starting in 1986 and from 1990 -1996 made the international best-selling recordings and toured the world with Blue Christmas, Girl Talk, Blame It On My Youth and Don’t Smoke in Bed. Blame It On My Youth was responsible for the international hit recording and video of “I Can See Clearly Now”.

Since that time Cole has gone on to record numerous successful solo recordings, including 2018’s HOLLY, all with Aaron Davis on piano and often with David Piltch on Bass however they never toured or played live as a unit again until the 2019 Montreal dates.

The relationship with the Festival is so special that in 2013, the Festival made Cole the 15th winner of their highly prestigious Ella Fitzgerald Award. The award is annually conferred upon “A jazz singer whose talents have had a major impact and influence on the international scene”. Holly is one of only two Canadians to ever receive this prestigious award. Other winners include Sade, Aretha Franklin, Harry Connick, Jr. and Etta James.

David Piltch, post the Trio became one of the most in demand bass players in the business playing live and recording with a very diverse and acclaimed group of amazing musicians including the likes of  k.d. lang,  Willie Nelson, Joan Baez, Bill Frisell, Bonnie Raitt, Alan Toussaint, Richard Thompson, Rambling Jack Elliott, Mose Allison, Soloman Burke, John Legend, Madeleine Peyroux, Art Pepper, Aaron Neville, T Bone Burnett, Rodney Crowell, Loudon Wainwright, Bruce Cockburn, Hal Wilner and Joe Henry.

When not performing with Ms Cole, Aaron Davis exists as a wonderfully creative and eclectic composer, orchestral arranger and keyboardist.  He is music director for and collaborator with singer Measha Brueggergosman and over the years has composed of over 100 film scores and is the winner of 3 Gemini Awards and 2 Juno Awards. He has worked as a co-writer and as arranger for a number of artists and organizations, including the San Francisco Symphony, the Finnish National Opera, National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Art Of Time Ensemble, Ed Robertson, Steven Page, Madeleine Peyroux, Alison Krauss, Natalie MacMaster, Canadian Brass, Sarah Slean and Quartetto Gelato.