Chet Baker.

[brewski]

Anyone hear any of his earlier work ? like Live at Carnigie Hall,with Gerry Mulligan. I loved his music,and took the bad with the good,I  suspect that Mulligan may have introduced him to " H ". I have quite a few of his albums, would like to hear from other fans.

[clifford_thornton]

just as an FYI, and it's tough to navigate sometimes as a new forum member, but we do have a search function. Let myself or one of the moderators know if you have trouble using it. Here's one such thread...

 

[mjzee]

I find Chet Baker consistently interesting, and an undersung talent.  He really doesn't sound like anyone else.  Some great early Chet was the quartet with Mulligan, collected here:

And then his own quartet with Russ Freeman:

I also like these live dates, collected on Uptown:

[JSngry]

1 minute ago, mjzee said:

And then his own quartet with Russ Freeman:

 

Yeah, I don't know if he was high when he did that one, but if he was, he wasn't too high. This is pretty nimble and non-opiodal:

Whatsomehowever, as time passes, I'm like, oh wow, Russ Freeman. And since basically forever, Larry Bunker. Larry Bunker has been a consistently kicking drummer, never mind studio Larry Bunker, jazzdrummer Larry Bunker, always engaged and engaging.

I heard some Chet Baker bootleg from the 70s that was like, the most junkie music I've ever heard. EVER. Some ballad, too damn slow for even Shirley Horn's good, and this cat was playing, like two notes ever half hour, if you know what I mean. It was compelling in all the wrong ways. And that's the problem I have with getting too deep into Chet Baker, like that docu-film, I was like, motherfucker, don't play that Junkie Symapthy Game with me, don't expect me to love you becuae you're all "tragic" and shit, FUCK THAT. And there's a lot of his records where that seems to be his game, all "fragile" and I'm supposed to be touched. Fuck that too. I've been around junkies, I've been "touched" by junkies, and no thanks, keep your habits to yourself, that's cool, no judgements here, but when they put that touch on you, hell no, that's MY business, and just fucking fuck off.

The cat could play, for sure, and the Mulligan Quartet stuff is a world unto itself, but the cat lived and played loooong past that, and the records I like best of his are the ones where he's not playing that pity party junkie shit, like the dates with George Coleman. Solid playing, no games, and better to make a B+ record without all that manipulatory bullshit than try get fool people into giving it an A+ with it.

[brewski]

Anyone heard the collaboration , with Chet and Stan Getz ? good shit !

[mjzee]

Maybe I've just been lucky with Baker, but I've liked the titles I've acquired, though I'm sure I haven't scratched the surface of his oeuvre.  Things I've heard from the '80's seem well-played and harmonically interesting.  "Peace" (Enja) is a great date with David Friedman on vibes.  "Straight From The Heart: The Great Last Concert"and "My Favourite Songs: The Last Great Concert" (also Enja), with the NDR Big Band, is also really good, although I can do without his singing.  And "Strollin'" (Enja), with Philip Catherine on guitar, is flat out great.  

What intrigues me most about Baker is his conception; he somehow seems to have passed the major currents in NY and LA.  It's sort of a midwestern hipness; very refreshing.

59 minutes ago, brewski said:

Anyone heard the collaboration , with Chet and Stan Getz ? good shit !

On Verve?  Baker seems to be sleepwalking and Getz is on amphetamines.  It's great Getz, but what a schizophrenic date.  Very Chicago rhythm section, and they're adding their own thing to it.

[Guy Berger]

I haven't really heard post-1960 CB, but the 1950s stuff is excellent.  One of the best 2nd tier trumpeters of the period.

[paul secor]

I haven't heard it all but, of the early records, I like the quartet sides with Russ Freeman, and a couple of the Riversides. Later Chet I like very much includes several Steeplechases - The Touch of Your Lips, This Is Always, No Problem  with Duke Jordan, and Diane with Paul Bley. Two later recordings I like but which I don't feel are quite on the level of the Steeplechase records are Mr. B on Timeless and Charlie Haden's Silence on Soul Note.

[brewski]

Story about Chet, Once on a gig in Italy Chet was to perform with Benito Mousilini,s son who played sax,Well Chet must have been operating with a head full of smoke,as he strolled across the stage,embraced Mouso Jr and said " Gee man, sorry about your dad"

[Larry Kart]

"Chet Baker in Tokyo" may be the best, along with the Steeplechases Paul mentioned above.

[Larry Kart]

49 minutes ago, brewski said:

Story about Chet, Once on a gig in Italy Chet was to perform with Benito Mousilini,s son who played sax,Well Chet must have been operating with a head full of smoke,as he strolled across the stage,embraced Mouso Jr and said " Gee man, sorry about your dad"

What Chet said was better: "Sorry about your old man."

[Pim]

To me the ultimate Chet is:

I love these Barclay sessions. It got such an indescribable atmosphere. It feels actually like Paris in 1955. Not that I would know how that feels, but as I would imagine of course. Also a change to hear the great Dick Twardzick who would die the same year. I have never liked the boxed set of these sessions as it contains way to many alternates, false starts, studio chatter and farts by Chet (or Dick, who would know). But these Barclay discs still got played very often. Prefect music for the depressing autumn like weather these days in Holland.

[soulpope]

Prefer the late Chet Baker and his Steeplechase + Timeless releases and this

are much appreciated ....

[Gheorghe]

Recently I listened to the two CD of an entire club date in Hamburg 1979 at Uncle Poe´s Carnegie Hall. That´s Chet in top form, with a great trio, Phil Markowitz is wonderful, the legendary Jean Louise Rassinfosse on bass, he played very much with Chet, and as a rare occasion also a drummer. I never had heard Chet with a drummer, the few times in Vienna and other Festival places in Austria it was always with piano bass, or piano guitar flute bass, anyway Chet has a great timing, he really has the time in his blood, he can play fast and slow tempos and never hurries up or drops time.

As much as I love and need a drummer for my musical tastes, I never missed them on Chet´s music.

[brewski]

I hope that everyone has viewed the movie depicting Baker, " BORN TO BE BLUE" I bought a copy on Amazon,later found it was on YOU TUBE free. I thought that the star, Ethan Hawke did a good job as Baker. As previously stated,no one had the tone of his horn, rest in peace Chet. By the way I have 8 of his albums, if anyone desires I can list them.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

14 hours ago, brewski said:

Story about Chet, Once on a gig in Italy Chet was to perform with Benito Mousilini,s son who played sax,Well Chet must have been operating with a head full of smoke,as he strolled across the stage,embraced Mouso Jr and said " Gee man, sorry about your dad"

Benito's son Romano was a pretty good pianist. I have his Piano e Forte CD that I picked up from trumpeter Cicci Santucci at one of his local appearances a few years back.

[Bluesnik]

19 hours ago, mjzee said:

Some great early Chet was the quartet with Mulligan, collected here:

 

11 hours ago, Pim said:

I love these Barclay sessions. It got such an indescribable atmosphere. It feels actually like Paris in 1955.

I love that

Barclay album, which must be contained in the Barclay sessions mentioned above. It's with Dick Twardzik, one of the best pianists he ever played with. But I also love the Mulligan/Baker quartet, mentioned before. Being a big Baker fan I think what I like most (as in most artists cases) are his early works.

[Peter Friedman]

I have a lot of CDs by Chet Baker and enjoy most of them representing different periods of his life. But if forced to select the ones I like the most, a key factor has to do with the other musicians he is playing with, and the musical context. The sessions Jim referred to on Prestige with George Coleman, Kirk Lightsey, Herman Wright and Roy Brooks would be my top choice. Here are some others:

Chet Baker & Crew with Phil Urso, Bobby Timmons, Jimmy Bond, Peter Littman

Chet Baker And Art Pepper - Playboys - with Phil Urso, Carl Perkins, Curtis Counce, Lawrence Marable

Chet Baker & Art Pepper - The Route - with Richie Kamuca, Pete Jolly, Leroy Vinegar, Stan Levey

Chet Baker - Once Upon A Summertime - with Greg Herbert, Harold Danko, Ron Carter, Mel Lewis

Chet Baker - In New York - With Johnny Griffin, Al Haig, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones

Chet Baker Quintet - Blues For A Reason - with Warne Marsh, Hod O'Brien, Cecil McBee, Eddie Gladden