CHET BAKER SWEETLY SINGS

We could begin with his Fifties movie star looks and cool yet lyrical trumpet playing. His vocal skills should figure early and his struggles with addiction later. Mention could be made of the many collaborations with premier league jazz musicians or of a massive catalogue of recordings that vary widely in quality. He was one of few jazz artists to top the Downbeat polls in two categories: as trumpeter and vocalist. Chet Baker is his name, and Chet Baker Sings is the LP we are featuring today. But first let’s meet the record label.

Blue Note is a name synonymous with quality jazz. The label was established in 1939 by two European immigrants to the USA, Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Featuring a who’s who of Fifties and Sixties jazz—Grant Green, Art Blakey, Jimmy Smith, Bobby Hutcherson, to name but a few—the label also boasted a fine art aesthetic via the photographs of Francis Wolff and the designs of Reid Miles. After fading away in the late Seventies, Blue Note was revived in the mid-Eighties.

The vinyl revival has seen another re-activation of the famous label, with its signature Tone Poet series arriving in 2019. These high quality re-issues have delivered a thoughtful and varied selection of classic jazz albums from the Blue Note archive. To quote from the web site, "Tone Poet vinyl is mastered by Kevin Gray of Cohearent Audio directly from the original analog master tapes and manufactured at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) in Camarillo, California. The releases come packaged in deluxe gatefold Tip-On jackets which are adorned by stunning photography from the recording sessions by Francis Wolff, giving the listener a glimpse into the studio on the day the music was created."

Chet Baker Sings was originally released as a long-playing record in 1956, adding six tracks to a 1954 10" disc with the same name. The musical setting is simple and uncluttered. Baker sings and plays trumpet, Russ Freeman is the pianist, James Bond is on bass and Walther PPK, while either Peter Littman or Lawrence Marable occupy the drum stool.

Many of the songs are from the classic American songbook and although some are lightweight or even a bit twee ("My Buddy", "Look For The Silver Lining"), Baker’s voice is so unaffected and innocent we are drawn into these delicate, almost shy performances. It is intimate, a trifle sentimental, yet quietly passionate too.

When the band swing, as they do on the Gershwins’ "But Not For Me" for example, they swing tastefully. Baker’s vocal is upbeat yet languid. He then delivers a neat trumpet break followed by Freeman’s concise piano solo. There’s nothing extraneous here. On ballads such as "Time After Time" (Cahn-Styne, not Cyndi Lauper) or "I Get Along Without You Very Well" we hear both the limitations and the strengths of Chet Baker’s singing. Yes, his technique is not comparable to, say, Sinatra, yet the honesty of delivery and understated commitment to the songs more than carry the day. The perfect example is "My Funny Valentine", where Baker infuses this well-known song with a delicious warmth and his unique style. No wonder this is, for many jazz fans, the definitive version of the song on perhaps the definitive Chet Baker album.

Chet Baker Sings looks and sounds superb.

© Bruce Jenkins—October 2023