One of a handful of late 50s albums that Chet Baker recorded for Riverside – all of which are some of his last great 50s work in the studio, before a shift in the 60s to a wider-ranging approach to his music! The style here is definitely in the "classic" Baker mode set down for Pacific Jazz – but a bit more fleshed out by the other players in the set – who seem to push a bit more personality into the tunes, and not just let Chet's trumpet dominate. The sound is soft and gentle – as you'd expect from the title – and other players include Bill Evans, Pepper Adams, Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers, Connie Kay and Philly Joe Jones – all bringing a bit of a New York undercurrent to the west coast Baker solo style. Titles include "How High the Moon", "It Never Entered My Mind", "If You Could See Me Now", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Time On My Hands", and "You And The Night And Music". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet Italian set from Chet Baker – from a scene that always seemed to bring out his most lyrical side – and a record that's done in that easy, open, understated style that makes us love Baker's last decade so much! Back in the day, folks only zeroed in on classic Chet from the 50s – but they were really missing a lot by not hearing a record like this – as Baker, although aged and world-weary, is also a master of color, tone, and phrasing – really able to bring a lot more emotion into his music, but in very subtle ways – and matched here by a really wonderful lineup – with players who include Nicola Stilo on flute, Diane Varvra on soprano, and Michel Grallier on piano. And as with so much late Baker, although the tunes are familiar, the execution is unique – on titles that include "Dream Drop", "Estate", "Francamente", "Finestra Sul Mare", and "Lament". LP, Vinyl record album

Cool moody work from Chet Baker – a very unusual set that has him blowing with a larger group than usual! The set's real star is Jack Montrose – the great west coast arranger who had a perfect talent for taking horns and locking them up tight to create a sound full of gloss and surprise! Montrose plays tenor sax on the set – in a three sax section that also features Herb Geller and Bob Gordon – and the rest of the group includes Russ Freeman on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, and Joe Mondragon on bass. Chet's work is great too – but the real appeal of the set is the Montrose-styled groove – very nice all the way through! Tracks include "Ergo", "A Dandy Line", "Pro Defunctus", "Goodbye", "Headline", and "Little Old Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Italian-only album from Chet Baker – wonderfully cooking small group work that's a far bit greater than his more familiar "with strings" session recorded in Italy during the same period! The album's got Chet working with an array of great players from the local scene – including Gianni Basso on tenor sax, Renato Sellani on drums, and Glauco Masetti on alto sax – all in a groove that shows plenty of traces of that opened-up sound that Baker was exploring in the very late 50s – the modes he was crafting in his group with Phil Urso on tenor, as he started to get a bit more bit in his style! Yet there's also a nicely compressed approach going on here too – that west coast sound that was a strong influence on the Italian players of the postwar years, but which was unfolded to new ends in their hands. Titles include "Lady Bird", "Line For Lyons", "Tune Up", "Cheryl Blues", "Indian Summer", and "Pent Up House". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the greatest albums of Chet Baker vocal material you could ever hope to buy – a fantastic testament of the young talent at the top of his game – effortlessly moving between well-conceived trumpet solos and those fantastic vocals that were unlike any other singer at the time! Half the album was recorded live, the other half in the studio, but there's a very unified vibe to the whole thing – and the great Russ Freeman plays piano on both tracks, and a bit of celeste at a few points too. Titles include "That Old Feeling", "Look For The Silver Lining", "There Will Be Another You", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "My Buddy", "My Funny Valentine", and "I Get Along Without You Very Well". Every track is great, and these are the original vocal recordings that put Chet on the map! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Chet Baker's most classic albums of the 50s – a record that features both vocals and strong trumpet solos – all from a time when Baker was one of the hottest things going in jazz! The album's different from records from previous years, in that it moves Baker from LA to New York – where he works with a great quartet that features Kenny Drew on piano, George Morrow or Sam Jones on bass, and Philly Joe Jones or Danny Richmond on drums – all players who have a slightly different approach than some of Baker's compatriots on Pacific Jazz sessions, which also seems to bring out a bit more bite in Chet too. Tracks are still shortish, with those breathy Baker vocals we love so much, balanced with really well-crafted trumpet solos – and titles include "It Could Happen To You", "Do It The Hard Way", "Old Devil Moon", "Dancing On The Ceiling", and "The More I See You". LP, Vinyl record album

Long, open-ended later work from Chet Baker – the kind of album that still had him working out interesting ideas in his music! The group features Harold Danko on piano, Greg Herbert on tenor, Ron Carter on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – on cuts that include "ESP", "Shifting Down", "Tidal Breeze", and "Once Upon A Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic Pacific Jazz album, one that features Chet Baker laying back in three different ensembles – a quartet (with Russ Freeman), sextet (with Bud Shank and Bob Brookmeyer), and septet (with Jack Montrose, Herb Geller, and Bob Gordon). Arrangements are by Freeman, Montrose, and Johnny Mandel – and the set list includes a few strong originals, plus other familiar numbers, all done in the warmly intimate style of Baker's best early work. Titles include "Tommy Hawk", "All The Things You Are", "No Ties", "Russ Job", "Bea's Flat", "Goodbye", "Moonlight Becomes You", and "Little Man You've Had A Busy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A great later date from CTI – proof that the label still had its magic going on well into the 80s! The session's a larger group effort headed up by Don Sebesky, and featuring key solos by Chet Baker, Jim Hall, and Hubert Laws – all of whom get plenty of room to do their thing on the album's longer tracks! Other players include Kenny Barron, Jack Wilkins, Jorge Dalto, George Mraz, and Steve Gadd – plus bit of added percussion – and although the group is large, the overall sound is relatively lean – spacious and airy, in keeping with Baker's best moments on records like these, and always sensitive enough to let Hall's gentle work on the strings of his guitar shine through nicely! Titles include "Malaguena", "Django", "Swan Lake", and "All Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more unusual late entries in the Chet Baker catalog – a set done with Joe Locascio on piano and keyboards, plus guest vocals on one track from Terri Meason! LP, Vinyl record album

A short detour in the 60s career of Chet Baker – one that we sure like a heck of a lot! This side is one of a couple that were recorded as an answer to the big success of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – with Chet's trumpet was backed by jaunty, brassy arrangements penned by Jack Nitzsche, and George Tipton. And while it might be easy to dismiss the tunes as copycat sound-a-likes, they're really not – as Nitszche brings in a much fuller groove to most of the numbers than Herb Alpert ever did – more of a sunny LA pop feel that has the whole group really gliding along on bold waves of sound all topped off by Baker's horn – sounding stronger and more confident here than on many of his other recordings of the 60s! Some numbers have a Latin undercurrent while others lean towards mainstream pop – a style that's bolder than A&M's approach to Tijuana – and one that explodes with some youthful LA energies! 12 tracks in all, including "Happiness Is", "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)", "The Phoenix Love Theme (Senza Fine)", "On The Street Where You Live", 'Armen's Theme", "You Baby" and "It's Too Late". (Now Sound, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A strange 60s chapter in the career of trumpeter Chet Baker – but one that we sure like a heck of a lot! These sides were recorded as an answer to the big success of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass over at A&M Records – and for the sessions, Chet's trumpet was backed by jaunty, brassy arrangements penned by Jack Nitzsche. And while it might be easy to dismiss the tunes as copycat sound-a-likes, they're really not – as Nitszche brings in a much fuller groove to most of the numbers than Herb Alpert ever did – more of a sunny LA pop feel that has the whole group really gliding along on bold waves of sound all topped off by Baker's horn – sounding stronger and more confident here than on most of his other recordings of the 60s! There's a definite Latin undercurrent to most of the numbers, but also a fair bit of mainstream pop instrumentation as well – a style that's bolder and not nearly as compressed as the A&M approach to Tijuana – and one that explodes with some youthful LA energies! 10 numbers in all, including "Flowers On The Wall", "Mexico", "Hot Toddy", "El Paso", "Come A Little Bit Closer", "Speedy Gonzales", "Cuando Calienta El Sol", and "24 Hours To Tulsa". (Now Sound, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Late 50's session in which Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker try to recreate the sound that made them a legend on the West Coast in the first place. Cool breezy renditions of a number of standards, held down by the drumming of Dave Bailey and the bass of Henry Grimes, which is a nice treat on an album like this! Titles include "Reunion", "Travelin Light", "Surrey With The Fringe On Top", and "Stardust". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Chet Baker's best albums of the mid 60s – a tribute to Billie Holiday, one that has him both singing and playing, with a hip group that includes Hank Jones, Richard Davis, Seldon Powell, and Connie Kay. The format is quite nice, with arrangements by Jimmy Mundy that have just the right amount of darkness for the material, yet which also have a slightly whimsical touch that makes the record a lot more than just a straight tribute album. Titles include "There Is No Greater Love", "Easy Living", "Travelin' Light", and others associated with the late, great one. LP, Vinyl record album

Live recordings from Oslo – with Per Husby on piano, and either Bjorn Kjellemyr or Terje Venaas on bass, and Espen Rud or Ole Jacob Hansen on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Chet Baker's rarest albums – and a great one! The session was recorded in Rome in 1962, at a time when Chet's star had fallen quite a bit on the American scene, and it features him working with some of the hippest European players at the time – like Rene Thomas on guitar, Bobby Jaspar on tenor and flute, Amadeo Tomassi on piano, and Daniel Humair on drums. The tracks are longer than those on some of Chet's earlier albums – with an angularity that brings out new modes of blowing on some of his solos. Titles include "Blues In The Closet", "Barbados", "Star Eyes", "Pent Up House", and "Ballata In Forma Di Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A late concert from Chet, reunited here with Lee Konitz for a live set that's a lot more free-thinking than some of their classic recordings in the 50s! The pair are supported by Michael Moore on bass and Beaver Harris on drums – but the overall style of the recording is quite spare, with Chet and Lee moving around each other with a lot of room, on a set of longer tracks that include "This Is Always", "Just Friends", "Walkin", "There Will Never BE Another You", and "Airegin". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful 70s meeting between Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker – recorded live, with sweet electric touches from CTI – in a style that shouldn't work so well, but which really comes off great! The approach is simple – Mulligan and Baker solo in a manner that's a bit like their 50s work, but which also unfolds more than usual with backing from a group that includes Bob James on electric piano, Ron Carter on bass, John Scofield on guitar, and Harvey Mason on drums. Tracks are long, with lots of space – hanging in a beautiful balance between electric and acoustic sounds. Titles include "Line For Lyons", "Song For An Unfinished Woman", "Song For Strayhorn" and Baker's favorite standard "My Funny Valentine". LP, Vinyl record album

Mindblowing early work from Chet Baker – quite possibly as clear a statement of the young trumpeter's genius as you might hope to find, served up here in a beautiful 10" LP package! The tracks are short, sweet, and very much to the point – but they already display a tremendous approach to the trumpet that was different from any other player – a sound that's recorded cleanly and clearly throughout, without any vocals at all. The great Russ Freeman is on piano, and titles include "The Lamp Is Low", "Russ Job", "Batter Up", "Easy To Love", and "Maid In Mexico". LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit misleading – as Chet Baker never really stopped singing, and in fact had found a way to mix his vocals with really nicely stretched-out solos on some of his European recordings from this generation! But the set does feature maybe a bit more vocals upfront than some of Chet's other records from the time – although there's also plenty of trumpet too – on nicely compact tracks performed with a great group that's perfect for the laidback, airy style of this generation of the Baker sound – one that we love more and more as the years go on! The quartet features the great Michel Graillier on piano, Ricardo Del Fra on bass, and John Engels on drums – on titles that include "How Deep Is The Ocean", "I Can't Get Started", "All Of You", "Look For The Silver Lining", "My Funny Valentine", "Alone Together", and "Body & Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A sharp-edged session of tremendous trumpet and tenor interplay – served up by the legendary quintet of Gianni Basso and Oscar Valdambrini! The album's got a sound that's as hip as it looks – a great approach to 50s modern jazz, done in a style that's equally influenced by west coast cool and east coast hardbop! Valdambrini's trumpet is beautifully measured throughout – with echoes of both Kenny Dorham and Chet Baker – offset by some deeper grooving on tenor from Basso, who plays with a strength and command that few American players of the time could match. Titles include "Come Out Wherever You Are", "Lo Struzzo Oscar", "Lotar", "Gone With The Wind", "Parlami D'Amore Mariu", and "Fan Tan". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique album from pianist Roland Hanna – a set that allows him to show off all the amazing keyboard flow that he has on solo and trio dates – but in the larger space of a CTI Records session! Arrangements are by Don Sebesky – and while full, they're never overwhelming – so that the acoustic piano of Roland is always right out front, as dexterous as ever – with slight backing from a larger group of mixed electric and acoustic elements! The tunes are Gershwin and Hoagy Carmichael numbers, but that hardly matters at all – as the approach here is very unique and personal – and the album does feature trumpet from Chet Baker on one track, and soprano sax from Ronnie Cuber on another. Titles include "Skylark", "Stardust", "Oh Bess Where's My Bess", "The Nearness Of You", and "Embraceable You". LP, Vinyl record album

A 50s Fantasy album that brings together 2 earlier 10" jazz sessions – one by Mulligan and one by Desmond, both unusual outings for the players. Side one features Gerry Mulligan working with a strong early group – Chet Baker on trumpet, Chico Hamilton on drums, and Carson Smith on bass – on 4 tracks recorded in San Francisco, and 4 others recorded slightly later in LA. The tunes are short, piano-less, and have that fluid 50s Mulligan groove – and titles include "Turnstile", "Limelight", "Carioca", "Bark For Barksdale", and "Line For Lyons". Side two is a session that features 4 tracks with Paul in a quintet with Dick Collins on trumpet and Dave Van Kriedt on tenor sax – working without a piano, and in a fluid-grooving style that recalls a lot of the Gerry Mulligan style of the time. The other 4 tracks from the set are even more unique – and have Desmond blowing dreamily over a "with voices" chorus – done with the Bill Bates singers in a style that's warmer than similar work by Charlie Parker, and which really points the way towards some of the Desmond solo genius of the 60s. Titles include "Jeruvian", "Garden In The Rain", "Misty Window", "Winky", "Soon", and "Will I Know". LP, Vinyl record album

Early 70s Capitol collection – includes a 50s cooker from Gerry Mulligan – working here with a real birth of the cool-styled group that includes Chet Baker and Pete Candoli on trumpets, Bud Shank on alto, John Graas on French horn, Bob Enevoldsen on trombone, and Chico Hamilton on drums – a really wonderful group that has a swing that's might lighter than you might guess from its size! The set is nicely arranged throughout – an early example of Gerry's powers in this respect – with plenty of thought in each tune, yet never so much so that the proceedings get too academic. Titles include "Rocker", "Walking Shoes", "Simbah", "Ontet", "Westwood Walk", "A Ballad", "Taking A Chance On Love", and "Flash". Also includes late 40s EPs by Stan Hasselgard & His All Star Six, and the Red Norvo Septet! LP, Vinyl record album

Key early work from trumpeter Jack Sheldon – a set that captures his talents at their most basic and most stripped-down – very much in the spirit of the best LA jazz coming out on the Pacific Jazz label at the time! If the cover makes the set look a bit like a Chet Baker album, that's because there's a bit of the Baker approach here – one that's simple and focused, with a strongly melodic style that comes through beautifully on Sheldon's shimmering horn. But there's also a bit more of an edge, too – thanks to bold piano work from Walter Norris, and the addition of Zoot Sims on a number of tracks – and unlike Baker (or Sheldon on later records), there's no vocals here at all – just a strong instrumental groove. Titles include "Beach-Wise", "Groovus Mentus", "Dozo", "Jack Departs", and "Palermo Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare early Fantasy LP, one that features Gerry Mulligan working with a strong early group – Chet Baker on trumpet, Chico Hamilton on drums, and Carson Smith on bass – on 4 tracks recorded in San Francisco, and 4 others recorded slightly later in LA. The tunes are short, piano-less, and have that fluid 50s Mulligan groove – and titles include "Turnstile", "Limelight", "Carioca", "Bark For Barksdale", and "Line For Lyons". LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool combo work from Gerry Mulligan – and very much in the Pacific Jazz style of the time, given that Chet Baker is in the group on trumpet! There's no piano at all – just Carson Smith on bass and Larry Bunker on drums – and Mulligan is already at his modern best! LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal session from Gerry Mulligan – one of his 50s quartet recordings with Chet Baker, in a group that also includes Carson Smith on bass and Larry Bunker on drums. The pianoless quartet grooves nicely in a twin-horn frontline – gliding effortlessly through tunes that include "I May Be Wrong", "Jeru", "Swinghouse", "Darn That Dream", and "Love Me Or Leave Me". LP, Vinyl record album

The alto of Bud Shank gets some fuller backings from the great Bob Florence – all in a mode that's as groovy as you might expect from the title – and which also features a bit of guest work from Chet Baker as well! The sound's nice and buoyant – swinging, but never too over the top in a big band way – leaving Bud some great space to blow with a bit of strength, even if the tracks are relatively short – packing in plenty in a small space, and using his alto sax with a deftness, and sense of feeling we really love! Titles include "Imprevu", "Husbands & Wives", "Woman", "Gotta Go", and "In Times Like These". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual Japanese-only collection of work by bassist Ron Carter – pulled from American sides for Fantasy, and done by Suntory Whiskey! The set features the new tracks "Double Bass" and "36414" with Jay Berliner on guitar and Kenny Barron on piano – and other titles include "Ah Rio" with Chet Baker on trumpet, "NY Slick" with JJ Johnson on trombone and Hubert Laws on flute, "12+12" with Kenny Barron on piano, and "Epistrophy" with Barron and a mixture of woodwinds. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Jim Hall's most compelling albums from the 70s – a mix of lightly swinging tunes and more complicated numbers, recorded with some of his best partners from earlier years! Chet Baker is on trumpet, Paul Desmond is on alto sax – and the rest of the group includes Ron Carter bass, Roland Hanna piano, and Steve Gadd on drums. Hall's style is as airy and free-floating as ever – and the spacious arrangements on the album by Don Sebesky only support his work even more. The centerpiece of the album is the 19 minute long "Concierto De Aranjuez", and other tracks include "The Answer Is Yes", "Two's Blues", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's noteworthy not just for the presence of alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and for the leadership of baritonist Gerry Mulligan – but a record that also features the great Chet Baker on trumpet, working here as part of a trio of musicians who were really helping transform the sound of jazz in the early 50s! And maybe most noteworthy in the set is the lack of any piano at all – a strategy of Mulligan's at the time, but used in a way that also echoes some of Lee's sublime quartet sessions of the mid 50s too – and a nice setting for Chet, as he has plenty of space to open up and craft those magical notes of his youth! The rest of the group features Larry Bunker on drums, and either Carson Smith or Joe Mondragon on bass – and material was recorded partly live, and partly in the studio – with titles that include "Broadway", "Sextet", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Too Marvelous For Words", "Lover Man", "I'll Remember April", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent early 50s recordings by baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, and appropriately named after the title track "Freeway" considering the group's influence on the west coast scene at the time. The set was recorded for Pacific Jazz in 1952 and much later issued by Blue Note, and it's collected from a number of sessions – most of which in a quintet setting – with players that include Chet Baker on trumpet, Red Mitchell on bass, Chico Hamilton on drums, and Jimmy Rowles on piano. Tracks include "Get Happy", "She Didn't Say Yes", Lullaby Of The Leaves", "Frenisi", "Soft Shoe", and "Walkin' Shoes". LP, Vinyl record album

An early cooker from Gerry Mulligan – working here with a real birth of the cool-styled group that includes Chet Baker and Pete Candoli on trumpets, Bud Shank on alto, John Graas on French horn, Bob Enevoldsen on trombone, and Chico Hamilton on drums – a really wonderful group that has a swing that's might lighter than you might guess from its size! The set is nicely arranged throughout – an early example of Gerry's powers in this respect – with plenty of thought in each tune, yet never so much so that the proceedings get too academic. Titles include "Rocker", "Walking Shoes", "Simbah", "Ontet", "Westwood Walk", "A Ballad", "Taking A Chance On Love", and "Flash". LP, Vinyl record album

Great early west coast jazz! This album puts together 2 different sessions both recorded by Gene Norman in the early 50s. One features Shorty Rogers heading up a great group with Art Pepper and Jimmy Giuffre – on the tracks "Four Mothers", "Didi", "Sam & The Lady", and "Popo". The other features classic cool Gerry Mulligan material – played by a tentet with Chet Baker, Bud Shank, and Bob Enevoldsen. Titles on that one include "Westwood Walk", "Simbah", "Walking Shoes", and "Rocker". LP, Vinyl record album

Gerry's second 10" album for the Pacific Jazz label – and almost as groundbreaking as the first! Not only is the quartet with Chet Baker featured strongly on side 1 – with classics that include "Cherry", "Carson City Stage", and "Motel" – but Lee Konitz joins the group on side two, cutting things up with his angular alto sax – a sound that's beautifully placed next to the poised horns of Mulligan and Baker, in a way that really gives the record even more life! Titles on that side include "Sextet", "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me", "Lover Man", and "Lady Be Good". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few albums that singer Annie Ross cut on her own away from the Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross group while she was still living in the US – and a great little set recorded with a group led by Gerry Mulligan! The sound is west coast cool all the way through – with players who include Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Dave Bailey, and Henry Grimes – and although Annie's in the lead on most of the set, but Gerry slides in some lean solos which open up the tracks nicely! Ross is a bit less in a vocalese mode than with LHR, in ways that really demonstrate her skills with ballads and gentler cuts – and given the support from Mulligan and crew, the album's got a very solid jazz foundation overall. Titles include "All Of You", "Give Me The Simple Life", "This Is Always", "It Don't Mean A Thing", and "I Feel Pretty". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from Chet Baker's famous, and famously short-lived pianist! Chet Baker joins the group on one track – and the core trio features Carson Smith on bass and Peter Littman on drums. Original tunes include "Albuquerque Social Swim", "Yellow Tango", "Crutch For The Crab", and "The Girl From Greenland". LP, Vinyl record album