Customer Reviews

Phil Urso and Carl Saunders Salute Chet Baker

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This CD has been a staple in my cars CD player for the last month. That's not a minor achievement, the console in my Jeep is stuffed with Miles, Monk, Mingus and Marsalis but this great set just keeps climbing its way back into my player.

It has a great classic sound. Yesterday I listened to it sandwiched between "Sonny Rollins Plus 4" (1956 Sonny with Richie Powell, George Morrow, Max Roach, and the amazing Clifford Brown) and Miles Davis/Gil Evans "The Birth of Cool" (1949/50 Miles with Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis, Lee Konitz etc.). It fit in perfectly.

The CD is beautifully recorded and features a great set of 11 classic tunes including: Jumpin' off a Clef, Line for Lyons, For Minors only and the beautiful Halema (written by Phil Urso for Bakers wife). Of course no tribute to Chet Baker would be complete without a version of his signature My Funny Valentine, Phil and Carl's version is one of the highlights of this outstanding set. Phil's mellow tenor sax blends beautifully with Carl's bright and melodic trumpet.

I highly recommend that you pick up this outstanding new CD. Whether your a fan of Baker's or not you'll enjoy this set. It's an example of classic 50's Jazz at it's finest. It's a reminder that there is still a lot of great Jazz being played today. Phil Urso is a living link to the golden era of Jazz, I hope he'll have the opportunity to record several more CD's in the coming years!

PS If you live anywhere near Denver CO or are planning a visit, Phil and his outstanding Quintet "The Crew" play a monthly set at Dazzle (Denver's coolest Jazz club).

This is nirvana for the long suffering Phil Urso fans like me. Every now and then I would check Amazon to see if an Urso recording had surfaced by some miracle or another. Then, voila!. Here it is. Naturally, the music is familiar; but with a new touch here and there and all of it tasteful. Of all the Chet Baker music I have collected over the years, and it's plenty, the Phil Urso sides are the ones I dig the most. I still have the Crown album that featured Halema and Jumpin' Off A Clef that I left on continuous play over much of a weekend back in '62 or so while reading Gone With The Wind. Now, when I think of Rhett Butler, it's not Tara's Theme, but Halema that swirls around in my mind. This album is a delightful surprise. Carl Saunders work is excellent and incredibly listenable. He flat out swings! If you like solid swingin' jazz without squeakin' and honkin' then Phil Urso in general and this album in particular is for you.

This CD (Phil Urso and Carl Saunders Salute Chet Baker) is the initial offering from the new Jazzed Media label (www.jazzedmedia.com) and holds true to their goal of providing the best in jazz. For those of you who have grown very weary of the current flow of over-produced, uninspired jazz recordings, this recording is for you. Here, tenor sax legend Urso and LA's hottest trumpet player, Saunders, team to present a program of straight-ahead jazz which swings and soars across the limits of musical emotions. This CD makes you remember why you like jazz!