Chet Baker Sings and Plays
Chet Baker Sings and Plays | ||||
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Studio album by Chet Baker | ||||
Released | 1955 | |||
Recorded | February 28 and March 7, 1955 | |||
Studio | Capitol, 5515 Melrose (Hollywood) | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 37:53 | |||
Label | Pacific Jazz PJ 1202 | |||
Producer | Richard Bock | |||
Chet Baker chronology | ||||
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Chet Baker Sings and Plays (subtitled With Bud Shank, Russ Freeman and Strings) is an album by jazz trumpeter Chet Baker recorded in 1955 for Barclay Records and released on the Pacific Jazz label.[1]
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Tom Hull | A−[3] |
Matt Collar of Allmusic stated, "With the growing popularity of Chet Baker's first vocal album, Chet Baker Sings, Pacific Jazz producer Richard Bock wanted to capitalize on both facets of his young star's abilities. Hence, the trumpeter turned vocalist entered the studio in 1955 with both his quartet featuring pianist Russ Freeman and an expanded sextet including bassist Red Mitchell, Bud Shank on flute, and various string players. The resulting album, Chet Baker Sings and Plays, helped set in stone the image of Baker as the jazz world's matinee idol and icon of '50s West Coast cool".[2]
Cover
The cover is a mostly black and white collage made of various sources. The photos of Baker were taken by William Claxton. The picture of the Colosseum evokes Europe, where Baker began touring for the first time in September 1955. Images of Cupid, flowers, and a cropped close-up of Baker with his girlfriend Lili Cukier reflect the romantic track listing, containing love and torch songs. The song titles are spelled out in words taken from magazines.
Track listing
- "Let's Get Lost" (Jimmy McHugh, Frank Loesser) – 3:43
- "This Is Always" (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon) – 3:06
- "Long Ago (and Far Away)" (Jerome Kern, Ira Gershwin) – 3:57
- "Someone to Watch Over Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 3:01
- "Just Friends" (John Klenner, Sam M. Lewis) – 2:43
- "I Wish I Knew" (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon) – 3:59
- "Daybreak" (Ferde Grofé, Harold Adamson) – 2:41
- "You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene de Paul, Don Raye) – 4:50
- "Grey December" (Frank Campo) – 3:41
- "I Remember You" (Victor Schertzinger, Johnny Mercer) – 3:15
- "Let's Get Lost" -EP Version- (Jimmy McHugh, Frank Loesser) – 2:57 Bonus track on CD reissue
- Recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, California on February 28, 1955 (tracks 2, 4, 6 & 9) and in Los Angeles, California on March 7, 1955 (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10 & 11)
Personnel
- Chet Baker – trumpet, vocals
- Bud Shank – flute (tracks 2, 4, 6 & 9)
- Russ Freeman – piano
- Red Mitchell (tracks 2, 4, 6 & 9), Carson Smith (tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10 & 11) – bass
- Bob Neel – drums
- Frank Campo, Johnny Mandel, Marty Paich – arrangers (tracks 2, 4, 6 & 9)
- Ray Kramer, Ed Lustgarten, Kurt Reher, Eleanor Slatkin – cello (tracks 2, 4, 6 & 9)
- Corky Hale – harp (tracks 2, 4, 6 & 9)
References
- v
- t
- e
- Chet Baker Quartet featuring Russ Freeman (1953)
- Grey December (1953)
- West Coast Live (1953-54 [1997])
- Jazz at Ann Arbor (1954)
- The Trumpet Artistry of Chet Baker (1954)
- Chet Baker Sings (1954)
- Chet Baker Sings and Plays (1955)
- Chet Baker in Europe (1955)
- Chet Baker & Crew (1956)
- Chet Baker Big Band (1956)
- Playboys (1956)
- Quartet: Russ Freeman/Chet Baker (1956)
- Theme Music from "The James Dean Story" (1956 [1957])
- Embraceable You (1957)
- Pretty/Groovy (1953-1957 [1958])
- A Taste of Tequila (1966)
- Hats Off (1966)
- Quietly There (1966)
- Double-Shot (1966)
- Into My Life (1966)
- In the Mood (1966)
- (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen to You (1958)
- Chet Baker in New York (1958)
- Chet Baker Introduces Johnny Pace (1958)
- Chet (1959)
- Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe (1959)
- Chet Baker in Milan (1959)
- Chet Baker with Fifty Italian Strings (1959)
- Oh You Crazy Moon (1978 [2003])
- Peace (1982)
- Strollin' (1985)
- Witch Doctor (1953)
- Chet Baker & Strings (1954)
- Stan Meets Chet (1958)
- Chet Is Back! (1962)
- The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65 (1964)
- I/We Had a Ball (1964)
- Baker's Holiday (1965)
- Baby Breeze (1965)
- Double-Shot (1966)
- Albert's House (1969)
- Blood, Chet and Tears (1970)
- In Concert (with Lee Konitz, 1974 [1982])
- She Was Too Good to Me (1974)
- Once Upon a Summertime (1977 [1980])
- You Can't Go Home Again (1977)
- The Best Thing for You (1977 [1989])
- Live at Nick's (1978 [1987])
- Ballads for Two (with Wolfgang Lackerschmid) (1979)
- The Touch of Your Lips (1979)
- All Blues (with Rachel Gould) (1979)
- Chet Baker / Wolfgang Lackerschmid (with Wolfgang Lackerschmid) (1979 [1980])
- Daybreak (1979 [1980])
- Rendez-Vous (1979 [1980])
- No Problem (1979 [1980])
- This Is Always (1979 [1982])
- Someday My Prince Will Come (1979 [1983])
- Studio Trieste (1982)
- Out of Nowhere (1982 [1991])
- Crystal Bells (1983)
- Line for Lyons (with Stan Getz) (1983)
- Everything Happens to Me (with Kirk Lightsey) (1983 [1984])
- At Capolinea (1983 [1984])
- Mr. B (1983 [1984])
- The Improviser (1983 [1984])
- Diane (1985)
- Chet's Choice (1985)
- Candy (1985)
- Blues for a Reason (1985)
- Chet Baker Plays Vladimir Cosma (1985)
- There'll Never Be Another You (with Philip Catherine) (1985 [1997])
- Chet Baker Sings Again (1985 [1986])
- As Time Goes By (1986)
- When Sunny Gets Blue (1986)
- Cool Cat (1986 [1989])
- Chet Baker in Tokyo (1987)
- Reunion with Chet Baker (with Gerry Mulligan, 1957)
- A Sign of the Times (with Joe Pass, 1965)
- Carnegie Hall Concert (with Gerry Mulligan, 1974 [1975])
- Silence (with Charlie Haden , 1987)
- "Freeway"
- "Chetty's Lullaby"
- "Motivo su raggio di luna"
- "So che ti perderò"
- "Il mio domani"
- Hell's Horizon (1955)
- Howlers in the Dock (1960)
- Let's Get Lost (1988)
- Born to Be Blue (2015)
- Category