Chet Baker Plays The Best Of Lerner And Loewe (Remastered) Chet Baker

• 1I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face04:11
• 2I Could Have Danced All Night03:39
• 3The Heather On The Hill05:01
• 4On The Street Where You Live08:35
• 5Almost Like Being In Love04:49
• 6Thank Heaven For Little Girls04:31
• 7I Talk To The Trees05:47
• 8Show Me06:29
• Total Runtime43:02

Info for Chet Baker Plays The Best Of Lerner And Loewe (Remastered)

The newest round of re-releases/remasters from the Concord Music Group celebrate the 60th anniversary of Riverside Records. Singer and trumpeter Chet Baker's Chet Baker Plays The Best Of Lerner & Loewe joins Mulligan Meets Monk (OJC/Riverside, 1957/2013) in the label's birthday celebration. Plays The Best Of Lerner & Loewe can easily be considered a sequel and one half of a creative diptych with Chet (Riverside, 1959). On top of the jazz world a mere five years previously, Baker was amid one of his several heroin-induced critical exiles during the one year contract with Riverside. The consummate dark American Romantic protagonist, Baker, nevertheless, produced compelling music confounding even his greatest critics.

"This is one of the last Chet Baker (trumpet) long players recorded in the States prior to the artist relocating to Europe in the early '60s. Likewise, the eight-tune collection was the final effort issued during his brief association with the Riverside Records imprint. The project was undoubtedly spurred on by the overwhelming success of the Shelly Manne-led combo that interpreted titles taken from the score to My Fair Lady (1956). In addition to becoming an instant classic, Manne's LP was also among of the best-selling jazz platters of all time. While Baker and crew may have gained their inspiration from Manne, these readings are comparatively understated. That said, the timelessness of the melodies, coupled with the assembled backing aggregate, make Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe (1959) a memorable concept album. Although Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe had produced a number of well-received and luminous entries, half of the material on this disc is derived from My Fair Lady (1956). "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" is given a languid torch song treatment that spirals around Baker's cool inconspicuous leads, featuring some equally sublime contributions from Zoot Simms (alto sax/tenor sax). This contrasts the resilient and free-spirited waltz on "I Could Have Danced All Night," which benefits from Herbie Mann's (flute) breezy counterpoint and solo. Bill Evans (piano) also lays down some tasty licks over top of the solid rhythm of Earl May (bass) and Clifford Jarvis (drums). "On the Street Where You Live" is a highlight, as the personnel take the time to stretch out and thoroughly examine with some key counterpoint between Baker's honey-toned horn and Pepper Adams' (baritone sax) husky and ample involvement. Of the non-My Fair Lady sides, "The Heather on the Hill" and a superior "Almost Like Being in Love" hail from Brigadoon (1947), while the scintillating and smoldering "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" comes from Gigi (1958). Not to be missed is "I Talk to the Trees," with an unhurried and evenly measured tempo that is coupled to Baker's austere, yet rich and purposeful lines. In 2004, Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe was remastered utilizing 24-bit analog-to-digital signal conversion for optimum audio." (Lindsay Planer, AMG)

Chet Baker, trumpet
Herbie Mann, flute, tenor saxophone
Zoot Sims, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone
Pepper Adams, baritone saxophone
Bob Corwin, piano (tracks 1 & 3-5)
Bill Evans, piano (tracks 2 & 6-8)
Earl May, bass
Clifford Jarvis, drums

Recorded July 21 & 22, 1959 at Reeves Sound Studios, New York City
Produced by Orrin Keepnews

Digitally remastered

Chet Baker Trumpeter and singer Chet Baker encountered jazz when playing with Army bands where he quickly developed his distinctive style. A short stint with Charlie Parker (1952) was followed by a long association with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. The pianoless quartet performed and recorded with great success - immediate fame came to Chet Baker and his cool, subdued style. His lyricism became typically associated with West Coast jazz and found many followers around the world. Baker led his own groups after leaving Mulligan for many years in both the US and Europe. His career became somewhat erratic in the sixties when he lived and worked mostly in Europe.

In the seventies he began his comeback and his very unique talent as a vocalist and instrumentalist soon put him back on the major concert stages. Excellent albums were done during the last ten years of his life which were maybe less perfect than his early West Coast work in the technical sense but showed a depth of feeling and intensity rarely heard. Luckily his last concert was recorded: it is one of the finest of his career (The Last Concert ENJ-6074 22). Chet Baker was very involved with the production of the concert, choose the music well in advance which was arranged for an ensemble consisting of a regular bigband, a symphony orchestra and a jazz quintet. He was very happy that he could finally record and perform under the best of circumstances. That night's version of My Funny Valentine,a song he had performed uncountable times before will stand out for all times as an absolute masterpiece of vocal jazz.

Dec. 23, 1929 (Yale, Oklahoma) - May 13, 1988 (Amsterdam).

This album contains no booklet.