The Best of Chet Baker Sings

by Chet Baker

Overview

To much of the pop (as opposed to the jazz) audience, Chet Baker was known not as an able cool jazz trumpeter, but as a romantic balladeer. The two classifications were not mutually exclusive; Baker's vocal numbers would also feature his trumpet playing, as well as fine instrumental support from West Coast cool jazzers. For those who prefer the vocal side of the Baker canon, this is an excellent compilation of his best vintage material in that mode. The 20 tracks draw from sessions covering the era when he was generally conceded to be at his vocal peak (1953-1956), and are dominated by standards from the likes of Rodgers & Hart, Carmichael, Gershwin, and Kern. Baker's singing was white and naive in the best senses, with a quavering, uncertain earnestness that embodied a certain (safe) strain of mid-'50s bohemianism. That's the Baker heard on this collection, which contains some his most famous interpretations, including "My Funny Valentine," "Time After Time," "There Will Never Be Another You," and "Let's Get Lost." ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2019
Label:	Imports
UPC:	8436559466813
Rank:	56654

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Chet Baker   Primary Artist,Trumpet,Vocals
Larance Marable   Guest Artist,Drums
Shelly Manne   Guest Artist,Drums
Russ Freeman   Guest Artist,Piano
Carson Smith   Bass
Peter Littman   Drums
Bob Neel   Drums
Joe Mondragon   Bass
Jimmy Bond   Bass

Technical Credits

Victor Schertzinger   Composer
Walter Donaldson   Composer
Don Raye   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Lew Brown   Composer
John Klenner   Composer
Sam M. Lewis   Composer
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Richard Bock   Producer
Jule Styne   Composer
James Van Heusen   Composer
Richard A. Whiting   Composer
Michael Cuscuna   Producer
Ralph Rainger   Composer
Newell Chase   Composer
Ray Henderson   Composer
Buddy DeSylva   Composer
Gus Kahn   Composer
Harold Adamson   Composer
Will Friedwald   Liner Notes
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Jimmy McHugh   Composer
Mack Gordon   Composer
Gene DePaul   Composer
Jerome Kern   Composer
Frank Loesser   Composer
Ferde Grofe   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Leo Robin   Composer
Sammy Fain   Composer
Harry Warren   Composer
Sammy Cahn   Composer
Johnny Burke   Composer
Richard Mantel   Design,Art Direction
Franko Caligiuri   Design,Art Direction