“Summertime” is amazing ?!
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Arrived today - CD rip - having a listen
Recorded at Teatro Nuovo, Catania on December, 1 1987.
Chet Baker (t) (voc)
Nicola Stilo (g) (fl) (p)
Rocky Knauer (b)
Nice !
Really nice I have the vinyl version
I don’t have either of the Italian recordings, ‘Sextet & Quartet/In Milan’ or ‘Angel Eyes’ released in 1960 but I do have RSD 10" from 2022 that has some of his Italian recordings and Chetty’s Lullaby which was written inside the Italian Jail.
Chet Baker & Enzio Morricone - I Know I Will Lose You, Moochin’ About Moochin34 (2022)
Tracklist
| A1 | Chetty’s Lullaby | |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | So Che Ti Perderò | |
| B1 | Motivo Su Raggio Di Luna | |
| B2 | Il Mio Domani |
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Deleted, please remove.
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After Chet’s release from prison and narrowly avoiding deportation from Italy he managed to stay clean playing around Italy and finally going back into the studio in 1962 to record his first meaningful record since the Riverside recordings back in 1959.
Recorded in Rome on January 5th ‘Chet is Back’ saw him back to his best playing wise but much of the recording lacked the emotion of his earlier recordings. Unfortunately members of the backing band including Bobby Jaspar who would die of an overdose within a year and who had played with Chet on some of the Barclay recordings where all using drugs and after a concert in Lugano, Switzerland Chet relapsed when a fan who was also a pharmacist offered him Palfium.
More arrests and short prison and hospital stays followed then deportations from Germany, Switzerland and Italy led to an extended stay in England who after more drugs arrests finally deported Chet back to the U.S Jazz music’s most notorious drug addict arrived back home penniless and to no acclaim.
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My copy of Chet is Back is the 2012 ORG Bernie Grundman/Chris Bellman cut pressed at Pallas.
Chet Baker Sextet - Chet is Back, RCA/ORG Music ORGM1075 (2012)
Tracklist
A1. Well You Needn’t - Written by Thelonious Monk
A2 These Foolish Things - Written By Harry Link, Holt Marvell & Jack-Strachey
A3 Barbados - Written By – Charlie Parker
A4 Star Eyes - Written-By Don Raye, Gene-DePaul
B1 Over The Rainbow - Written-By – E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen
B2 Pent-Up House - Written By – Sonny Rollins
B3 Ballata In Forma Di Blues - WrittenBy Amedeo-Tommasi
B4 Blues In The Closet - Written By – Oscar Pettiford
Bass – Benoit Quersin
Drums – Daniel-Humair
Guitar – René Thomas
Piano – Amedeo Tommasi
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Bobby Jaspar
Trumpet – Chet Baker
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Chet gravitated to New York and found quite a different Jazz scene from the one he’d left behind he found a place to stay with Tadd Dameron and his wife Mabel, Chet and Tadd Dameron where kindred spirits in as much as both had at that point ruined promising careers through drug use and both felt musically adrift and separate from the the likes of Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor.
Dameron who not too many years before had been celebrated and wrote tunes recorded by Sarah Vaughan amongst others would die a year or two later penniless and homeless.
It wasn’t until 1964 that Chet returned to the studio for another ‘comeback’ record the ballsy title
‘The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65’ was a bit wide of the mark, unfortunately the collection of Dameron compositions competed with Coltrane’s A Love Supreme for that title.
Next Chet tried a newer slightly more modern sound on ‘Baby Breeze’ it was slightly better received by the critics Downbeat called it " a fine but not spectacular Album" Personally I disagree I think Chet’s playing is excellent and his vocal on ‘You’re Mine You’ backed by Kenny Burrell is one of his best up until that point.
My copy of Baby Breeze is a 1987 Japanese reissue on the Emarcy label.
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Chet Baker - Baby Breeze, Limelight/Emarcy (1987)
Tracklist
A1. Baby Breeze
A2. Born To Be Blue
A3. This Is The Thing
A4. I Wish You Love
A5. Everything Depends On You
B1. One With One
B2. Pamela’s Passion
B3. The Touch Of Your Lips
B4. Comin’ Down
B5. You’re Mine Now
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Frank Strozier
Bass – Michael Fleming
Drums – Charlie Rice
Flugelhorn, Vocals – Chet Baker
Guitar – Kenny Burrell
Piano – Bob James, Bobby Scott
Tenor Saxophone – Phil Urso
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Another treasured vinyl LP Recorded Nov. 10, 1978, Chateauvallon, Centre Culture
Chet Baker (t) (voc)
Phil Markowitz (p)
Scott Lee (b)
Jeff Brilinger (d)
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Chet’s problems grew greater as his career fell further into disrepair in a final desperate attempt to squeeze the last out of Chet’s early successes his then manager Richard Carpenter got him into the studio for a mammoth 32 song session with George Coleman, Kirk Lightsey, Roy Brooks & Herman Wright the material was a thrown together set of songs by Tad Dameron & Sonny Stitt that Carpenter claimed ownership over along with a few standards.
Chet had basically signed his life over to Carpenter for a free apartment and and a daily retainer to buy drugs the tapes from the recording sessions where sold to Prestige who in imitation of Miles’ legendary Prestige recordings released the songs over five albums Smokin’, Groovin’, Comin’ On, Cool Burn’n’ & Boppin’.
It was more of the same Downbeat wrote that his tone was muddy and his solos lacked assertiveness.
Richard Carpenter cut Chet off and after going out of town Chet returned home with his wife and newborn son to find himself evicted, Carpenter hadn’t paid the rent in months.
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The Chet Baker Quintet - Smokin’ Transatlantic Records U.K PR744 (1967)
Tracklist
| A1 | Grade A Gravy | 6:24 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2 | Serenity | 5:29 | |
| A3 | Fine & Dandy | 7:22 | |
| B1 | Have You Met Miss Jones? | 6:38 | |
| B2 | Rearin’ Back | 6:01 | |
| B3 | So Easy | 6:51 |
Bass – Herman Wright
Drums – Roy Brooks
Flugelhorn – Chet Baker
Piano – Kirk Lightsey
Tenor Saxophone – George Coleman
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Chet took his family back to live with his parents and phoned his old producer Richard Brock to look for work and work it was the young handsome trumpeter with the Hollywood looks who’d won Downbeat polls and had been championed by Charlie Parker was reduced to playing in a backing band for Bud Shank on the horrible Michelle album.
Brock then set to work to market Chet as an alternative Herb Alpert the resulting four records by Chet Baker and the Mariachi Brass where awful and where followed up with the equally bad Quietly there and Into My Life with the Carmel Strings. Personally I’ve only ever heard youtube snippets and they are terrible.
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On one occassion I had the opportunity to ask Kirk Lightsey about those Prestige sessions with Chet Baker. He (and the rest of the rhythmn section I think) was gigging in Atlantic City and had to commute backwards and forwards to Van Gelders to complete the sessions.
Kirk remains a superb pianist to this day, as well as being a lovely, positive character !
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Recorded in Norway in 1983
Chet Baker (t)
Per Husby Trio - Per Husby (p)
Terje Venaas (b)
Ole Jacob Hansen (d)
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As someone who is not that familiar with Chet Baker, what would be a good album to start with to get that quintessential Chet Baker sound ?
DG…
Hi
A good vocal record is Chet Baker Sings and also the self titled Chet is very good.
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There are quite a few, but “My Favourite Songs” is worth a listen !?
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