This is quite an historic record if your a Chet Baker fan recorded over two nights, March 13th & 14th 1988 in Frankfurt and Paris. By this time deep into his addiction Chet was considered too unreliable to book at anything of any consequence by both promoters and other Jazz players. Despite what it says on the sleeve notes Chet didn’t return to Rome to buy an Alpha Romeo (though he did) but to score drugs and his late return was due to this not a flat tyre.
Obviously Archie Schepp, Horace Parlan and the rest of the band where not best pleased with Chet’s antics and it shows in their playing. During the intro to My Foolish Heart you can hear Chet’s almost angry reply to someone in the band he then delivers probably one of his most heart breaking vocal performances that brought a lump to my throat. During the first chorus his voice is a bit off but by the second chorus he seems to pull himself together, very emotional stuff, for me it’s up there with Kurt Cobain’s cover of Leadbelly’s Where Did You Sleep Last Night on MTV Unplugged for pure emotion.
Within months Chet would fall to his death from a Hotel window in Amsterdam just hours after playing to about 30 people (and not being paid by the promoter) at a club in Utrech.
A completely unfitting end to an incredible Jazz man who just happened to be not a very nice person to the people around him and to those who loved him.
Had he been a Rock star he’d be as famous as Hendrix, Moon and Cobain as it is outside of his fans and the Jazz world he was pretty much an unknown.
Found this trawling youtube. Not what I expected from Pharoah Sanders.
An exceptional track and if you have a spare 20 minutes…
Found the above Pharoah track after playing this Alice Coltrane track from the LP
Ptah the El Daoud which if you haven’t heard it really is a must for Jazz fans.
Alice’s piano playing is truly exceptional.
Yes, I found that playlist on YouTube too.
Worth a listen.
I’m usually adverse to anything Avant Guard but really enjoyed that video.
just booked tickets for me and Mrs. JimDog to see The Brad Mehldau Trio at 19:30 on the 9th March 2020 at the Barbican in London.
only a few seats left at this their only gig in the UK AFAIK
Very excited.
Also going to GoGo Penguin in Manchester soon too.
If these two are close to me, I will certainly book them. They are both great bands…
Mrs. Jimdog and I watched a YouTube vid of Nils Frahm called A Winged Victory for the Sullen last night.
Rather good, esp the hplast half hour where he goes 8nto a really energetic and skilful solo.
I haven’t listened to this in quite a while because I haven’t had a record player capable of playing 45rpm records. This an Analogue Productions reissue of a classic Impulse LP by a then 25 year old Freddie Hubbard and what an incredible set by a group of very talented stars in their own right playing as sidemen on this record.
Wayne Shorter, Eric Dolphy, Louis Hayes, Philly Joe jones and Cedar Walton amongst others all put in great performances. A real Treat.
