Customer Reviews

Sings

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't think Chet Baker would be rated by most casual jazz fans as the best male vocalist of his era...probably, he wouldn't be number one even for the trumpet on most lists. However, when you combine his better-than-average singing with his much-better-than-average horn playing and his impeccable taste in songs and his excellent choice of sidemen, you have durable art and a good value for the music lover's money. This CD combines a 1954 recording session with one in '56 using different bass players and drummers. My, does it all hold up well. Call it smooth jazz, call it lounge music, call it pop, even...it's all good. I like the '54 session better because those eight songs are a little stronger overall than the six he produced in '56. If anyone is writing songs this good now, somebody point me to them: "But Not For Me"; "Time After Time"; "I Get Along Without You Very Well"; his signature tune, "My Funny Valentine"; "There Will Never Be Another You" and "I Fall in Love Too Easily." Chet didn't write them, he just demonstrates how good the writers are. If you like lightly swinging love songs, a little trumpet improv in the middle, and a short list of some of the best three-minute pop songs of the century, buy this one. Chet ended up a tragic figure, doomed by heroin, but here he is young and full of promise, enjoying that decade inbetween the end of the Korean War and the start of the Vietnam mistake known generically as "The Fifties." Rock and Roll was just beginning when these sessions were held...ten years later, people like Chet Baker were relegated to cult-type followings, but when these performances were fresh, this kind of music held the main stage.

Chet is my main man...Ever since i saw the documentary about him ("Let's Get Lost"), I have never been able to get enough of this man's musical genius. And that goes for both his trumpet-paying and his singing.

Some people try to make the argument that he's really not a singer. Excuse me? Do you have ears? Aside from Billie Holiday, I don't think there is another jazz singer who can touch Baker.

I listen to a lot of singers...from Louie Armstrong to Abbie Lincoln to Nina Simone to Ella to Kurt Elling...and nobody moves me like Baker...

He's phenomenal...Buy this cd...do yourself a favor...

Of all Chet Baker recordings, this is the original from the mid-50s, and it remains the best. No quirky phrasings, just pure Chet. Don't confuse it with 'Chet Baker Sings and Plays,' a later recording with similar arrangements which seems much less fresh than the original, slower, chet's voice a bit strained and not as sincere, if that's the right word. His trumpet lags in many instances; and the piano work I found to be lacking. If you want to start a Chet collection, first get the original, CHET BAKER SINGS.

Barbara H., California poet.

I recommend you purchase "The Best Of Chet Baker Sings" instead. That album contains all of the 14 songs contained in this present album "Chet Baker Sings", plus 6 more songs that were recorded with his quartet.

"The Best Of Chet Baker Sings" has a misleading title, because it should be called: "The Complete Master Takes Of Chet Baker Sings With His Quartet".

In his excellent liner notes for "The Best Of Chet Baker Sings", Will Friedwald explains the circumstances of the recording sessions of Chet Baker with his quartet , and mentions that that that CD (Best of Chet Baker Sings) indead contains all the original master takes of Chet Baker singing with his quartet.

It seems, the original producer for these recordings later added other arrangements over these recordings, like an additional rhythm section, as well as have Joe Pass record rythm guitar over the recordings, and possibly those adulterated mixes may very well contained in the albums "Chet Baker Sings" or "My Funny Valentine". I haven't heard those. But I do own"The Best Of Chet Baker Sings", which contains all the songs as Chet Baker recorded them with his quartet, and I love them exactly that way, because Chet's voice is so sparse and haunting, I imagine, the songs sound best with minimal accompaniment.

"You'll hear Chet Baker's trumpet as well as his voice on some of these songs; that's hardly startling, but it is startling to discover a voice and a horn of such quality with but a single source. Chet Baker has turned out to be a musician with such a wonderfully nice voice, it is a problem whether to speak of him as a 'trumpet player who also sings' or as a 'singer who also plays trumpet'." ~ Gerald Heard, Liner Notes ~

To me Chet Baker will always be famously known as the "trumpet player who also sings." This CD speaks of him more of a singer for this is the only album he was featured not only as a trumpet player but also as a singer. He superbly interpreted fourteen of the best standards of all-time with his soft and mellow voice and his wonderfully captivating trumpet playing. He was ably supported by Russ Freeman on piano and celeste, James Bond and Carson Smith on bass, Peter Littman, Lawrence Marable and Bob Neel on drums.

This CD will never disappoint the listeners for this is one of his best recordings. Its repertoire includes an impressive collection of great standards penned by George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne, Jim Van Heusen, Johnny Burke, Hoagy Carmichael, Mack Gordon, Harry Warren, Frank Loesser, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart and many others. The best tracks for me include such lovely and timeless standard as Les Brown and Sammy Fain's "That Old Feeling."

"There'll be no new romance for me
It's foolish to start
For that old feeling is still in my heart."

You will also be pleased to hear "Like Someone In Love," "But Not For Me," "My Funny Valentine," "Time After Time" and my very highlight - one of my ultimate favorites from the pens of Mack Gordon and Harry Warren - "There Will Never Be Another You."

With my heartfelt recommendation for your listening pleasure now and forever!

As the title says, this is Chet Baker Sings, so if you're looking for his instrumental work, this isn't it. It's a tired cliche I know, but you either love or hate Baker's singing voice. I happen to love it, but if you've never heard him sing, this guy was no Louis Armstrong! Baker's fragile, soft voice often sounded just on the edge of losing the tune entirely. This might sound horrible if you've never heard him, but I think it lends a uniqely emotional edge to this collection of standards. You have to hear it to make up your mind. The closest comparison I can think of is a more subdued Morrissey of all people. Singing jazz.

Pacific Jazz puts together two recordings, from 1954 & 1956 to form this compilation, together with a surprisingly good sound for such old recordings. Baker takes you on a tour through the Great American Songbook decades before Rod Stewart thought of it, with his unique vocals and trumpet punctuation. The small combos led on both sessions by Russ Freeman pretty much stay in the background and let Baker do his thing.

One factor I take into giving stars is "playability," which is simply how often I play something. This CD gets pulled out a lot so I'm giving it 5 stars.

This is it!
If you buy one CD this year buy this one. Chet Baker had a velvet touch on the trumpet, and an almost niave, innocent voice that invites one into his world. His interpretations of these standards are entirely original and his own. He captivates the quiet intimacy of a hushed candlelight dinner. His boyish charm flows from each song.

When he sings the ensemble let's him sing when he plays the ensemble let's him play giving his talent center stage. A perfect choice for the fall drive through the changing leaves, a summer night dancing under the stars or a warm winter's evening by the fire.

This CD is sweet, sad, touching, fragile, and beautiful. Chet may not be the most technically accomplished trumpeter or have the sheer power of other singers, but that simply doesn't matter here. It's all about the way it makes me feel when I listen to it, and I love it.

Chet Baker had a voice that was very easy on the ear; and that voice of his also had just a touch of vulnerability to make it very special to his adoring audiences. Chet sings some very good numbers on this album and that's grand. Russ Freeman's musicians don't let us down, either! The quality of the sound is excellent and I really like that artwork, too.

"That Old Feeling" has Chet singing rather sweetly; he delivers this with panache and I'm impressed. "That Old Feeling" gets a rather jazzy arrangement and it works very well for Chet's rendition of this ballad. I always liked "That Old Feeling;" and Chet makes it sound very fresh and new. Great! "Like Someone In Love" gets a very sensitive treatment from Chet who sings this to perfection and beyond! Chet never sings a superfluous note; and the piano arrangement is very elegant as well. "My Ideal" uses the percussion very nicely; and Chet delivers this well. Chet handles complex key and tempo changes like the pro he always was--and he's right there front and center, too.

"I've Never Been In Love Before" is yet another most romantic tune that Chet infuses with great emotion as he wears his heart on his sleeve; and I really like "My Buddy." How's about that horn solo? In addition, "But Not For Me" shines bright; Chet swings gently to make this number a standout on the album and I could never tire of hearing Chet perform "But Not For Me."

"I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)" is a very tender ballad; that xylophone works well and Chet sings this faultlessly. Chet uses that vulnerability in his voice to really make his performance all the better. Of course, "My Funny Valentine" is a major highlight of this album; Chet delivers this as only a true master ever could. Chet's incredible sense of timing amazes me and the gentle music that goes along fits in perfectly with Chet's vocals.

"The Thrill Is Gone" has Chet Baker squarely front and center--right where he belongs! I really like "The Thrill Is Gone;" Chet performs this wonderfully and that horn makes the music very beautiful. "I Fall In Love Too Easily" shines brighter than silver and gold when Chet sings it; and the album ends very well with Chet Baker performing a very classic pop vocal entitled "Look For The Silver Lining." "Look For The Silver Lining" gets an upbeat melody and the tempo is just right for this ballad. Chet aces this last tune as effortlessly as if it were just breathing. Of course, it really wasn't that easy; but Chet's talents always carried him through.

Chet Baker fans will want this CD; it really highlights his fine talents as a singer in particular. This is also a great starter CD for people just discovering the artistry of the great Chet Baker.

This, ladies and gentlemen, may be the best vocal Jazz album I have ever heard (I say have heard because I've only listened to maybe fifteen albums in the genre). By just destroying any credentials I had in the previous statement, lets move on to the review. This is a West Coast Jazz classic, truly one of the most overlooked outputs of the Cool School of Jazz. While not as technically competant as "Kind of Blue", I manage to listen to it just as much, if not more. Every song included on this disc is a classic standard, and Baker's version of "My Funny Valentine" is the greatest version of the song, beating out Sinatra's rendition by a mile. The instrumentation itself is flawless, as Mr. Baker's trumpet playing guides the band. He was as adept at the trumpet as he was at singing. The low-key and minimalist style of the band is perfect for the songs, and is one of the best bands in Jazz history. Influential and flawless, this is a must-have for any fan of post-war Jazz.