Your Favorite Chet Baker Recording

Almost without exception, young jazz lions play (and sing) better than when they become old jazz lions. Make friends with that. Yes, the Pacific Jazz recordings, both vocal and instrumental, are the freshest. Get them. But truth to tell, Chet always had a way with a phrase, never mind the diminished chops. Good listening to you.

Far and away his single best is "Chet Baker & Crew", one of the Pacific Jazz releases (1956 or thereabouts?). It's got Phil Urso, tenor, Bobby Timmons, piano, Jimmy Bond, bass, and I can't remember the drummer. Baker and this group play with a lot more fire than was often the case on many of his recordings. I have an original mono LP that is quite well recorded as well as a routine CD reissue, but I note that there apparently are a couple of remastered CDs that add additional tracks. These might be worth checking out, since the price is only $12 on cdnow.

The drummer was Peter Littman with Bill Loughbrough on percussion on a few of the tracks, recorded, I believe, 7/21-7/31/56. So jealous that you have an original, mine is the horrible United/Superior LP reissue which was retitled "Chet Baker Quintette", probably to confuse the uninitiated as the sound is so terrible on this pressing one would think it a completely different record.

"Chet Baker" I adore what he does for the trumpet: purely lyrical. His crew is terrific and includes an ascending Bill Evans. I would agree that this album does benifit in that Chet does not sing.

Am I the only one that thinks that the only thing flatter than Chet Bakers horn is his voice? Lyrical, yes. Great side men, yes. Just so grotesquely flawed that I can't stand to be in the same room with his playing. It hurts.