Chet

Chet Baker: Chet

Album #27 - February 1959

Episode date - November 29, 2023

The Alternative Top 40
    0:00
    0:00

    Chet Baker may be the only jazz trumpeter who is better known for his singing than his playing.

    His vocal style is simple and untrained, restricted to a dynamic that falls within the range of conversation, and rarely extending beyond the melody as it was written. His singing style is so unornamented that the listener is often left with an innate sense of lonely resignation. Sad songs were surely his forte because he expressed a naïve delicacy that bordered on timidity. In other words, he sang very much like he played the trumpet but if I had to choose between one or the other, I would opt for his trumpet playing.

    His vocals could be described as anemic. His trumpet, however, was consistently intoxicating. It is difficult to avoid comparisons with Miles Davis because his relaxed tone resembled Davis at his most mellow, particularly when he played with a mute. In that regard, it doesn’t hurt that he used Davis’ rhythm section when recording “Chet” either, featuring the ever-introspective piano of Bill Evans (who would debut with Davis on the seminal “Kind of Blue” a few months hence), Paul Chambers on bass, and almost inaudibly gentle drum parts from Philly Joe Jones or Connie Kay.

     I never heard a Chet Baker solo that wasted a note. He is the most economical of stylists, which has the inverted effect of stimulating the listener’s imagination. Listen to a Chet Baker instrumental and you’ll almost certainly find yourself staring off into a void while the music stimulates memories and subtle waves of emotion due to the gentility of his presentation. It is hard to imagine any music – particularly any jazz music – that is more different than the hard bop that was immensely popular on the east coast. A lot has been made of Baker’s ‘west coast sound’, but it should be noted that “Chet” was recorded entirely in New York, with musicians who at the time were mostly affiliated with bop (as noted above).

    If you’re alone, this is late night music for staring at the ceiling while you sort out thoughts of bliss or pain, lost love, loneliness, or a subtle sense of longing. If you’re with someone special, I’d have a hard time suggesting an album better suited for romance. Even upbeat numbers like “How High the Moon” and “’You’d Be Nice to Come Home To” seem to be emanating through a fog, at a pace best described as cautious, if not wary. Pepper Adams’ baritone sax is the perfect foil to Baker’s melodicism, providing a complimentary tonal palette while maintaining the languid atmosphere. When Adams stands down on two tracks, guitarist Kenny Burrell steps in, adding variety and broadening the instrumental depth of this deeply evocative album. “Chet” is subtitled “The Lyrical Trumpet of Chet Baker,” which if nothing else, is truth in advertising. The album is a thing of beauty that can stimulate a dream state in the listener so intense that it borders on hypnosis.

    Featured Tracks:

    Alone Together

    How High the Moon

    It Never Entered My Mind

    'Tis Autumn

    f You Could See Me Now

    September Song

    You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To

    Time on My Hands (You in My Arms)

    You and the Night and the Music

    February 1959 – Billboard Did Not Chart

    Related Shows

    Misterioso – Thelonious Monk Quartet

    The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz: Part 7

    Album #174 - June 1973

      0:00
      0:00
      Night in Tunisia – Bud Powell Trio

      The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz: Part 6

      Album #174 - June 1973

        0:00
        0:00
        Concerto for Cootie – Duke Ellington and his Orchestra

        The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz: Part 5

        Album #174 - June 1973

          0:00
          0:00
          Rockin’ Chair – Gene Krupa and his Orchestra

          The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz: Part 4

          Album #174 - June 1973

            0:00
            0:00
            The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz

            The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz: Part 3

            Album #174 - June 1973

              0:00
              0:00
              West End Blues – Louis Armstrong & Earl Hines

              The Smithsonian Collection of Classical Jazz: Part 2

              Album #174 - June 1973

                0:00
                0:00
                King Porter Stomp - Jelly Roll Morton

                The Smithsonian Collection of Classical Jazz: Part 1

                Album #174 - June 1973

                  0:00
                  0:00
                  The Wailers: Catch A Fire

                  The Wailers: Catch A Fire

                  Album #173 - April 1973

                    0:00
                    0:00
                    The Eagles - Desperado

                    The Eagles: Desperado

                    Album #172- April 1973

                      0:00
                      0:00
                      Paul Kelly - Don't Burn Me

                      Paul Kelly: Don't Burn me

                      Album #171 - March 1973

                        0:00
                        0:00
                        John Cale – Paris 1919

                        John Cale: Paris 1919

                        Album #170 - March 1973

                          0:00
                          0:00
                          Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure

                          Roxy Music: For Your Pleasure

                          Album #169 - March 1973

                            0:00
                            0:00