At the minute I’m slumming it with online streams
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Just lined this up on Amazon to follow on from this vinyl
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A great record the last ever recording of Chet supported by a Big Band and it’s exceptional.
The Producer Of NDR Radio In Hamburg (Who Had Set In With Chet At A Hamburg Jazzclub As A Drummer Many Years Ago Which Was An Unforgettable Experience For Him) Had Asked Chet What His Favourite Project Would Be, Carte Blanche.
Well, He Answered That He Would Love To Record With A Quintet Of Good Friends, A Jazz Big Band And A Symphonic Orchestra. Chet got his wish.
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His version of ‘Summertime’ is just wow !!!
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When Your Lovers Gone from Chet’s album of Billie Holiday covers called Baker’s Holiday released on Limelight in 1965 another quite rare record now.
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Chet also did some nice recordings for the Danish label Steeplechase during the late 70’s and 80’s.
The Touch of Your Lips (1979)
Daybreak (1980)
This is Always (1981)
Someday My Prince Will Come (1982)
Released in consecutive years the trio of LP’s Daybreak, This Is Always & Someday My Prince where all recordings from the same concert at Montmarte, Copenhagen on October 4th 1979 and like The Touch of Your Lips featured the very talented veteran bassist Neils-Henning Ørsted and the excellent at the time young Jazz guitarist Doug Raney who also recorded as a frontman on Steeplechase and with his father Jimmy Raney.
Chet also recorded a pair of duets on Steeplechase one with Duke Jordan called No Problem
and one with Paul Bley called Diane both of which are excellent.
Chet’s other Steeplechase release When Sunny Gets Blue isn’t up to the same standard but is still worth a listen.
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Mentioned in the Elvis Costello interview above on his way to the rehearsal with Chet at Ronnie Scotts he bumped into Van Morrisson in the Street and when Van heard where Elvis was going he asked if he could tag along.
Below is the rehearsal of Van and Chet it’s edited for the film to look like the audience is there because in fact Van didn’t appear that night luckily during rehearsals the cameras where rolling.
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Wonderful!
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Chet and Elvis Costelloe You Don’t Know What Love Is Live at Ronnie Scott’s. Michel Gralilier’s piano solo is top drawer.
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From the same concert The Very Thought of You. Elvis is an incredible vocalist in my opinion and suits Chet and his band perfectly.
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Chet Baker - Peace taken from the album of the same name on Enja Records (1982) featuring David Friedman, Buster Williams and Joe Chambers.
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Some years ago I bought a 2018 Jazz Images reissue of Chet Baker Sings, I think this is quite nicely done with gatefold cover, original liner notes etc. and sounding good.
The other day at a local record shop I found a 1979 Pacific Jazz – GXF 3131(M) PJ-1222 Japan pressing in near mint condition for a reasonable price.
The cover artwork of this one is so much cooler and as expected it sounds much better, the music is more alive, more sparkle - but the biggest surprise is that it contains different mixes:
On My Funny Valentine the vocals sound like being in a much bigger room, a guitar appearing at the end of the song and some more differences.
The differences are not subtle, it’s obviously a different mix.
I expected to find differences only in the sound quality, but did not expect different mixes.
Now I wonder if there might exist even more different mixes, hidden on other re-issues of Chet Baker Sings?
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I suspect the Jazz images is taken from a digital source and has been not very well pressed where as the Japanese copy is from an Analogue source and is manufactured by King Records who are one of the best in Japan at what they do.
I don’t think it’s a different mix just a bad remastering job probably unofficially done from a digital recording against a much superior pressing.
I have the recent Tone Poet Chet Baker Sings reissue and it’s exceptional beautifully done by professionals like your Japanese copy.
This one gets a lot of praise, too bad I was not fast enough to get one of those when they were new.
The Jazz Images reissue comes with this version of My Funny Valentine: Chet Baker - My Funny Valentine - YouTube
The Japanese version (this one, hope this link is allowed: Chet Baker – Chet Baker Sings (1979, Vinyl) - Discogs) comes with a really different mix of My Funny Valentine:
This mix comes with a huuuge room around the vocals and even more reverb effect at one point and a guitar towards the end.
The differences are really big, listening with a friend yesterday we agreed instantly this was not due to pressing quality but a different mixing / mastering.
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“This isn’t just Midsummer madness”,
Chet and Steve Houben - This Is Always.
A Chet standard but the version on this record is a peach.
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Not the best recording but some excellent early Chet Baker live at the Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California 1953
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The funny valentine on enja records ballads compilation is rather good.
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My Funny Valentine was another Chet standard and when he did it very well it was sublime.
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I really like the enja records version. Simply fantastic
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Taken from She Was Good To Me this version of Autumn Leaves features Paul Desmond, Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, Jack De Johnette , Bob James and Herbert Laws.
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