Chet Baker, The Sesjun Radio Shows (T2). The trumpeter and singer soars in two CDs compiled from 1970s and ’80s concerts on the Dutch radio program Tros Sesjun. Baker’s fleetness, lyricism, hard swing and vocal improvisations put this among the best work of his later years. Of the sidemen, pianists Harold Danko and Phil Markowitz, bassist Cameron Brown and drummer John Engels make outstanding contributions. Sound quality is superb. There are five stunning 1985 tracks by Baker with guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean Louis Rassinfosse. Even the most hardened Baker detractors will find it difficult to dismiss these glowing performances.
CD: Chet Baker
November 9, 2010 by
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
If the critics really took the time to listen with their ears, they would hear what you and I hear. The greatest lyrical, melodic and understated jazz trumpeter of “All Time”!!!! And I ought to know for I worked with him on/off for over 17 glorious years.
My book of memoirs about Chet will soon be published, and it reveals a side of Chet the world knew nothing about. It’s called, “The Missing Years: A Memoir about Chet Baker, by Artt Frank”, and it reveals the private side of ‘the man behind the horn’