828 Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (1956 reissue from 1954)

 828 Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings (1956 reissue from 1954)

Studio Album - Jazz



About the Act:

Chet Baker was a jazz trumpeter. He also sang. He was active from 1949 until his death in 1988. He was particularly involved with (and influential in) "cool" jazz


About the Album:

Working out which actual album was being referred to by the list I got it from was a little complicated, as there are several albums with that name or variants of it. This was further confused by the year that was given. Thankfully there was a picture of the album cover. This album was actually first released in 1954 and then re-issued in 1956. This is the re-issue. This might not have been particularly important except they added 6 more tracks for the re-issue.


My History with this Album:

None


Review:

Welcome to Jazz club. Groovy. There's not a huge amount to say apart from the fact that this is the sort of Jazz you might expect in a smokey lounge or coffee bar in the 1950s. It was recorded in the 1950s. The songs are mostly not ones that I know, but are very much of a style that is familiar. Chet has a soft, croony voice which suits the style well, to be honest. I don't feel like there is anything really significant to him, or to me in fact, in the words, it's a pleasant sound to go with the pleasant backing. And it is pleasant backing, I like a bit of Jazz, of various types, and this is one of those types.

His trumpet playing is also a feature, and that is nice. Again, in keeping with the style, it is soft and breathy. I'm not a brass player but I do know that this tone is quite hard to produce. It's not as good as Miles Davis on Kind of Blue, but it's still pretty impressive.

So, this is an album I would happily put on in the background. In fact I have done now. It's timeless background gentleness. I might actually prefer Nina Simone or Louis Armstrong, but it's still kind of cool. actually, definitely cool.

7/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/5JJ779nrbHx0KB2lBrMMa4

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZ_GglAenGRSfgnRynAIj3mDEYmUJbAV

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chet_Baker_Sings



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