Waiter, Ask the Man to Play the Blues

Reception

Thom Jurek reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote of Cole that "His tune selection is flawlessly suited to his voice, a darkling instrument with a very slight roughness in its grain. The title track features a late-night, forlorn groove with the piano punching lines as Cole's vocal effortlessly floats on top and guitars and the rhythm section whisper in the background...it's a stellar example of vocal jazz and blues with Cole's considerable gifts on full display."

In his review of the album for All About Jazz, Javier Aq Oritz wrote: "The New York recording is a product of its time, with assured long-lasting worth nonetheless. All of the cuts are short and to the point. They do, however, generate interest and radiate musicality....This release is a superb example of urban settled and cosmopolitan blues arousing affection through sheer straightforwardness even when—as expected of the blues—many of the lyrics are thematically inclined to the loneliest travails of love and life."

Track listing

"Waiter, Ask the Man to Play the Blues" (Ted Travers, Jerry Ferber, Floyd Hunt) – 2:20

"Black Night" (Jessie Mae Robinson) – 2:38

"Rain Is Such a Lonesome Sound" (Jimmy Witherspoon) – 2:38

"Bye Bye Baby" (Willis) – 2:42

"Just a Dream" (Big Bill Broonzy) – 3:25

"Muddy Water Blues" (Freddie Spruell) – 2:18

"Black Coffee" (Sonny Burke, Paul Francis Webster) – 2:43

"The Joke Is on Me" (Hunt) – 2:31

"I Wonder" (Cecil Gant, Raymond Leveen) – 2:47

"This Life I'm Living" (Peter Chatman) – 2:25

"Blues Before Sunrise" (Leroy Carr) – 3:44

"I'm All Alone" (Freddy Cole) – 2:22

Personnel

Freddy Cole – piano, vocals

Sam "The Man" Taylor – tenor saxophone

Barry Galbraith, Wally Richardson – guitar

Milt Hinton – double bass

Osie Johnson – drums

Production

Hollis King – art direction

Sherniece Smith – art producer

Alex de Paola – cover photo

Ken Druker – executive producer

Hideaki Nishimura – mastering

Bryan Koniarz – producer

Mark Cooper Smith – production assistant