The Hidden World of Chet Baker (3CDs, Music Brokers)

Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker, Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter, horn player, and singer. Baker received a lot of attention and critical acclaim in the 1950s, particularly for the albums with him as a singer (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You). Jazz historian David Gelly described the promise of Baker’s early career as “James Dean, Sinatra and Bix rolled into one”. His well-known drug addiction also spurred his notoriety and fame; Baker ended up in jail over and over again until he saw a career revival in the late 1970s and 80s. Baker’s first known professional gigs were with saxophonist Vido Musso and tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, although he became much better known in 1952 when Charlie Parker hired him for a number of West Coast appearances. All of the great personalities who played an important role in Chet’s career can be found on this 3CD. Russ Freeman has been a legendary pianist who worked closely with Andre Previn and who was a key figure in the development of Chet Baker. The album starts with their interpretation of “Time after Time”. Regardless of his deep symphonic roots, Andre Previn has been a significant influence in jazz. There is no more suitable work to highlight the highs of this period than “I could write a book,” a title written by Rodgers, Hart & Hammerstein. The Chet Baker Sextet represents Chet Baker’s work between 1954 and 1957 for the Pacific Jazz Label. These are radiant “West Coast” tracks, reminiscent of his small-scale work with saxophonist Jerry Mulligan and featuring first-class arrangements by Jack Montrose and Bob Zieff. “Tommy hawk” closes CD1 and, interestingly, like most of the other tracks on it, was not available for a long time. Jazz bassist Carson Smith had a legendary long-term engagement at the Four Queens Hotel in Las Vegas, where he worked with musicians such as Art Farmer, Lew Tabackin, Zoot Sims and Chet Baker played. “Serenade to Sweden”, with the great Previn on piano, includes this period. While arranging for Kenton, Gerry Mulligan began playing nights off at The Haig, a small jazz club on Wilshire Boulevard on Kenmore Street. During the Monday night jam sessions, a young trumpeter named Chet Baker began playing with Mulligan. Mulligan and Baker began recording together and that was the beginning of the legendary quartet session that included Bob Whitlock on bass and Chico Hamilton on drums, another great moment of the Pacific Jazz era. CD2 therefore starts with “My funny Valentine” a legacy from this period. Ultimately, Charlie Parker met Chet while performing at the Trade Winds nightclub in Inglewood. Baker playing with Parker gave his career a boost and enabled his later work with Gerry Mulligan and as a cult figure. Here Baker played with Parker, just as Miles Davis had done a few years earlier. The quality of the recordings here may not be particularly good, but these are some of the few known recordings of Baker with Parker and that alone makes them an invaluable document for jazz fans. This compilation ends with the Bologna Concert. Because in his later years the perfect band setting for Chet Baker was a quiet trio with guitar and bass. Originally released in 1992 and currently unavailable, this concert is a high quality recorded live set on which Baker is supported by guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse. In addition to some vocal contributions from Chet, his trumpet playing was in top form that evening.