TheAlbumsHere.doc

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Jazz - Chet Baker 54-88 (24 Albums incl. some LPs)

Assorted Flavors Of Pacific Jazz.  A Hi-Fi Sampler $1.98

Chet 1954-55 Plays And Sings (LP)

Chet 1954-55 Plays And Sings The Great Ballads

Chet 1957 Embraceable You, vocals

Chet 1958 In New York

Chet 1959 Chet

Chet 1959 In Milan

Chet 1966 The Mariachi Brass featuring Chet Baker (4 LPs)

Chet 1974 Carnegie Hall Concert with Gerry Mulligan LP

Chet 1974 She Was Too Good For Me LP

Chet 1977 Once Upon A Summertime

Chet 1979-88 Why Shouldn't You Cry

Chet 1982 Peace

Chet 1982 with Lee Konitz In Concert LP

Chet 1984 Line For Lyons with Getz, live in Stockholm ( LP withPops)

Chet 1985 Strollin'

Chet 1986 Live At Ronnie Scott's

Chet 1987 The Legacy

Chet Baker - Verve Jazz Masters 32

Chet Career, Vol.1, 1952-1988

Chet Career, Vol.2, 1952-1988

Chet Baker Discography  jazzdisco.doc

TheAlbumsHere.doc

Chet 1954-55 Plays And Sings (LP)

Side A: But Not For Me; Happy Little Sunbeam; Look For The Silver Lining; Tenderly; I Get along Very Well; There’s A Small Hotel.

Side B: Summertime; There will Never Be Another You; Bea’s Flat; I Fall In Love Too Easily; My Funny Valentine; My Buddy.

It's difficult to decide whether Chet Baker was a trumpet player who sang or a singer who played trumpet. When the 24-year-old California-based trumpeter started his vocal career in 1954, his singing was revolutionary; as delicate and clear as his trumpet playing, with a similarly bright and vibrato-free tone, Baker simply didn't sound like any previous jazz singer. His first vocal session, recorded in February 1954 is so innocent-sounding it's like cub reporter Jimmy Olsen had started a new career as a jazz singer. Choices from the earlier session like "My Funny Valentine" — arguably the definitive version of this oft-recorded song — and "There Will Never Be Another You" work much, much better. The spacious musical setting, a simple trumpet and piano-bass-drums rhythm section, is perfect for Baker's low-key style. Chet Baker Sings is a classic of West Coast cool jazz.

Chet 1954-55 Plays And Sings The Great Ballads

Chet 1957 Embracable You

A ballad collection that emphasizes Chet Baker's troubled-romantic vocal style, it's not too surprising that these 1957 recordings remained in the vaults for almost 40 years. For one thing, Baker's delicate tenor, having won the hearts of thousands of teenage fans, was considered somewhat of a novelty to most critics. For another, his guitar-and-bass accompaniment is incredibly sparse, and while that doesn't hurt his trumpeting at all, being so prominent in the mix occasionally betrays his vocal limitations. Baker's fans, though, need not worry about such petty analysis, for the wistful, tormented tone of this record is the very sound that helped create the legend, and in places he is firmly in his element, especially on "There's a Lull in My Life" and a sublime instrumental version of "Little Girl Blue," which features some of his finest soloing. While it isn't the place to start, Embraceable You is a fascinating example of why Chet Baker's tragic spirit remains as attractive today as it was in his lifetime.

Chet Baker in New York 1958

Chet Baker's West Coast cool comes to the Big Apple on Chet Baker in New York. The project would be Baker's first — in a four album deal — with the Big Apple-based Riverside Records. The bicoastal artist incorporates his decidedly undernourished sound and laid-back phrasing into the styling of Al Haig (piano), Johnny Griffin (tenor sax), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The results are uniformly brilliant as Baker's cool-toned solos fly and bop with authority around the equally impressive supporting soloists. Conversely, the same cohesive unity continues on the introspective numbers that are more akin to Baker's California cool. Undoubtedly one of the charms of this collection is the distinct choice of material. Running the gamut from the relaxed and soothing "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and equally serene "Blue Thoughts" at one end of the spectrum to the percolating and driving intensity of "Hotel 49" on the other. This track features each quintet member taking extended solos corralling together at the head and again at the coda for some intense bop interaction. Especially ferocious is Philly Joe Jones, who could easily be mistaken for Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, or even Gene Krupa with his cacophonous solo that never strays from the beat or loses its sense of swing. Perhaps the best meshing of styles can be heard on the Miles Davis composition "Solar." This "best-of" candidate refers to both Chambers' and Jones' concurrent involvement with Davis. The churning backbeat likewise propels the melody and ultimately the performers into reaching beyond their individual expertise and into an area of mutual brilliance. Chet Baker in New York is a highly recommended entry into Baker's catalog. It should also be noted that these same sides were issued in 1967 as Polka Dots and Moonbeams on the Jazzland label.

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