Seasons of the Soul with Cole

Noted composer-pianist Broderick often draws inspiration from beyond the five senses

The youngest of four children born to St. Vincent de Paul parishioners Edward and Mildred Broderick, the performing artist is grateful that he and siblings Eddy, Carol and Billy all attended Catholic schools. “I had a reputation as being somewhat incorrigible as a little boy, but Sister Mary Austin brought out my angelic side,” beams Cole. “She had the patience of a saint and helped me realize you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I’ve never forgotten the example she set when it came to unconditional love and forgiveness. She brought out the best in me; I was as gentle as a lamb in her class.”

Cole is also grateful to the nuns and brothers who nurtured his love of music by exposing him to everything from hymns to Patriotic tunes. He credits St. Vincent de Paul organ master Dick Hartigan with being the first to recognize his potential as a musician. “When I was seven, Mr. Hartigan suggested to my parents that they sign me up for private piano lessons. Every Thursday after school, I would march from V.I. on Ontario Street over to the place where Roy Van Der Burgh gave lessons on Woodlawn Avenue.”

While some other kids regarded their music lessons as a form of penance, the lad who went by the nickname Coley was on Cloud Nine. “In the days when I gave Arts in Education workshops, I always told the kids I was lucky because I discovered my passion in the second grade. I told them one is never too young – or too old — to develop one’s talents, be they in music, art or another area.”

The classically trained jazz artist credits his experiences as a drummer with the V. I. Marching Band and as a pianist with the V.I. orchestra and a V. I. swing band called The Red Jackets – all overseen by Brother John Neidl – with contributing to his decision to major in music at the University of Miami. Heavily influenced by Oscar Peterson and Andre Previn during his college years, Cole went on to receive impressive offers following his graduation with a degree in music. He opted instead to party — playing in bars and clubs between Fort Lauderdale and Lake Placid to support himself. In the latter setting, Cole also worked as a Ski Marshal during the 1980 Winter Olympics. His cutting edge lifestyle finally caught up with him, and in 1983, he resolved to make a fresh start.

Returning to his Capital Region roots, Cole set about the business of getting his life back on track. Among the memories that sustained him while he winterized a log cabin his father had built in the 1930s near a camp owned by Bishop Maginn’s relatives on the shores of Saratoga Lake were those of childhood summers there.

“Even when we were on vacation, my parents would make sure we attended Sunday Mass together,” recalls Cole. It was following one of these Masses that he and pal Mike Maginn (a nephew of the Bishop) urged the diocesan leader to try to learn to water ski. Although the experiment wasn’t a total success, Cole fondly remembers the late Bishop as “a gentle and understanding soul who looked for the best in everyone and gave everyone dignity.”

Part of Cole’s early recovery included attending regular meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous inside what is now Noah’s Attic outreach center in Ballston Spa. “The Twelve Steps along with The Serenity Prayer about asking the Creator to grant me the serenity to accept the things I couldn’t change, the courage to change the things I could and the wisdom to the know the difference had a profound impact on my life,” reflects Cole, who grieved the deaths of his cherished first wife, Suzanne (for whom he wrote the exquisite ballad Soul Mate) as well as his parents and two of his three siblings in the space of just a few years. His sole surviving sibling passed away a decade later.

“It proved to be a blessing that prior to so many loved ones passing over in close succession I had begun to look at life spiritually – to meditate as the spirit moved me at various times during the day. Sometimes I’d be cutting the grass or raking leaves. These impromptu meditations often led to unexpected inspirations — often from beyond the five senses. New songs came to me in ways that are difficult to put into words . . . I’d find myself rushing to sit back down at the piano with a sharpened pencil and blank sheets of music paper in hand to record the melodies while they still fresh in my mind.”

By 1992 he had formed The Cole Broderick Quartet and recorded a demo tape of some of his original compositions and sent it to Festival Productions of New York. The following year, his ensemble was booked to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Energized by the experience, Cole recorded what would be the first in a collection of four CDs celebrating the glorious Seasons of Saratoga. The 4-CD box set subsequently received a Critic’s Choice citation from Billboard Magazine.

The flurry of publicity that followed led to the playing of the maestro’s music on radio stations across the USA, Canada and parts of Europe. In addition, Cole and his sizzling jazz ensemble were featured nationally on Bobby Flay’s Food Network TV program. Another high note came when Cole received a personal accolade from FRASIER co-star David Hyde Pierce who wrote: “The jazz is as cool as it is hot … obviously Saratoga has a good influence on all aspects of the arts, from dance to theater, from Balanchine to Broderick.”

Cole has since recorded four more CDs and dazzled fans at First Night and The Tulip Festival in Albany — as well as opening for Esperanza Spalding when she performed live at Music Haven in Schenectady’s Central Park shortly before being honored as Best New Artist at the 2011 Grammy awards. Cole has also performed at scores of private parties and corporate events, including fundraisers for regional and national not-for-profits, in settings such as The Troy Music Hall, The Glen Sanders Mansion in Schenectady and The Gideon Putnam and Canfield Casino in Saratoga Springs.

Now primarily a solo artist whose repertoire spans from the 1920s to the 1980s, Cole was tapped on the 50th anniversary of The Beatles arrival in the USA to open and close a series of NY Living Legacy lectures with his arrangements of some of the Fab Four’s most popular songs — which he also performed as part of a landmark 2014 concert at The Egg Performing Arts Center in Albany.

When not tickling the ivories beneath a spotlight, Cole enjoys keeping musical memories alive for those residing in nursing homes and assisted living centers throughout upstate New York. He also looks forward to introducing the younger generation to tunes of yesteryear through newly arranged piano renditions to be recorded in 2020.

And while the entertainer misses the staff and residents from whom he has been separated because of visitation restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic, he has been uplifted by messages that have been sent during his government-mandated absence. One especially precious card that arrived via snail mail from Peregrine Senior Center in Clifton Park included the poignant hand-written passage: “God bless and stay safe. Your music still plays on in our hearts.”

The feeling, a misty-eyed Cole smiles, is mutual. “I hope they know how much I miss them and that I’m doing my utmost to use the time we’re apart to further expand my repertoire of the songs they love and remember and to improve upon my playing technique. I cannot wait until we are reunited when it is finally safe to be together again.”

To learn more, call 518.390.5586.

ON A PERSONAL UPLIFTING NOTE: Composer-pianist Cole Broderick and author wife Ann Hauprich were deeply honored when children’s book illustrator Jody Wheeler recently surprised them with a copy of Nate the Great and the Wandering Word that includes the following Dedication: “To Ann and Cole, the words and the music.” (CLICK HERE to learn more about this latest title in the popular Nate the Great series of books for young readers and HERE to read recent news coverage about Corduroy Takes a Bow by actress Viola Davis with illustrations by Jody Wheeler, in the style of Don Freeman.)