![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Sammy Cahn and Jules Styne’s romantic ballad “Time After Time” follows, with Baker providing a short but eloquent trumpet solo. The album opened with a gently-swinging take on George and Ira Gershwin’s “But Not For Me,” on which Baker plays the trumpet during the intro before singing the verse sections. The original Pacific Jazz release of Chet Baker Sings was a 10” album comprising eight songs – all jazz standards – with Baker accompanied by pianist Russ Freeman, bassist Carson Smith and drummer Bob Neel. Mellow, sonorous, and defined by a somnolent languidness, it also had a mysterious androgynous quality those unaware of his singing style often thought Baker was female. “His singing stands apart from the run of the mill” More importantly, perhaps, he had conquered the hearts of a growing legion of young female admirers who swooned over his good looks and alluring sound. In particular, an instrumental version of Rodgers and Hart’s “ My Funny Valentine” – released as a single in 1952 – grabbed the attention of hip young record buyers, became a hit, and put Baker on the musical map.īut it was Chet Baker Sings, recorded two years later, after the trumpeter had left Mulligan’s band, that catapulted the young Oklahoma horn-blower into the consciousness of mainstream America. The group’s music, with its contrapuntal horn lines and mellow emotional aura, laid the sonic blueprint for what became known as the West Coast “cool school” sound. He had already made his name in the jazz world two years earlier, when when he was a member of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan’s famous piano-less quartet. The “cool school” blueprintįresh-faced and boasting chiseled features, Chet Baker was just 24 years old when he recorded Chet Baker Sings. ![]() Listen to Chet Baker Sings on Apple Music and Spotify. But when he stepped up to the microphone to record his vocals for the first time, on Monday, February 15, 1954, at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, under the supervision of producer and Pacific Records boss Dick Bock, he captured the first of a number of recordings that would make up Chet Baker Sings, and his life and career took another, momentous, turn. If Chesney Henry Baker, Jr, had never recorded a vocal album and just focused on playing the trumpet, he would still be regarded as a major star. ![]()
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