9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"The Coolest Cat", March 7, 2008
This review is from: Too Cool (Audio CD)
I'm fascinated by Chet Baker-and this is a pretty good intro to one of the great natural(or he sure made it look that way) musical talents to come along over the past 50 years.Even more specifically,my favorite musicians recorded their best stuff during the fifties(if I have to pick a decade)when Baker was at his peak.This cd comes with a pretty thorough booklet on the cuts selected,which includes several of the soloists;it would've even been better if it included the lineups for each cut.But,hey-a minor critique.If you've read anything about Baker's life(say,for example 'James Gavin's biography-'The Long Night Of Chet Baker') or have been one of the few to see Bruce Weber's documentary,'Let's Get Lost' of Baker's last year alive,you know how depressing the story is.If that's not enough this cd includes cuts that Chet did with Art Pepper(check out Pepper's autobiography 'Straight Life' if you want to get more depressed).I saw Baker at Detroit's Baker's Keyboard Lounge(the world's oldest jazz club)in the eighties;he was making a comeback-and supposedly off drugs;as I remember,he didn't really look like he'd kicked anything,but he played beautifully.I don't remember him singing anything,but I wasn't really a fan of his singing;with this cd,I'm working on it-and yes,it closes with his take of 'My Funny Valentine'.And no, he wasn't some 'white hope' imitation of say, Miles Davis. Chet is Chet.
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