Chet Baker - In Case of Stress, Break Plastic Seal (on CD)

[elrod-tom]

I'm having a little Chet Baker listening-fest right now...and boy oh boy, do I need it!!

Right now, as we speak, I'm listening to "Easy Living" from the Baker's Holiday SACD...it's a CD of covers of Billie Holiday tunes by Chet, and it's some of the best stuff I've heard.

My personal favorite is the SACD Hybrid of Chet. If you don't like this album, you don't like jazz...or music for that matter. The first cut, "Alone Together", is the velvet hook that grabs you and doesn't let go when you put this one in. It's also one of the better recorded albums I've heard...which when one considers it dates back to 1956 is saying something.

The last few days have been rough ones in the Elrod household. I'm glad that I can still find the time to steal away for a few minutes to listen to some great tunes like these. Changes my

or

to

in no time. Of course it is late...oh well, I don't get reviewed for another year at work.

 

[ooheadsoo]

"Chet" was the first Chet Baker album I specifically sought out. It's great stuff. He's definitely not about pyrotechnics, but maybe more in the Bix school (compared to Louis.)

 

[bugsjr]

He is a great horn player, but I really dont care for his vocals. He almost sounds like a woman when he sings. Chet's "My Funny Valentine" on I Fall In Love to Easily is a prime example of this. Other then that, his horn playing seems to relax you to the point where you feel like you've just put the first steaks on the hibachi and your cruzin' with a nice glass of pinot on a Saturday afternoon. Oh yeah!

 

[OceanEnthusiast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom My personal favorite is the SACD Hybrid of Chet. If you don't like this album, you don't like jazz...or music for that matter.

YES, YES !!!!!!!

ive said that a few times here...

the performance rocks and the sonic quality of the recording is insane. the horns sound amazing on headphones.

glad to hear someone agree.

 

[OceanEnthusiast]

oh, and the cover is classic -- cheesy but so classic. can you be any cooler?

 

[recstar24]

I am a HUGE chet fan, there is something magical about his voice, there definitely is sort of a forlorn, depressing, feminine quality to it that I find very appealing!!!

I have tons of chet recordings, my favorite are the pacific jazz recordings with russ freeman. The best of chet baker sings combines the two pacific jazz cd's which are top notch, great recording and song selection.

However, the gem of my chet collection? Chet Baker in Tokyo, a live recording of one of his last performances months before his death, and inarguably the best performance of his career. Even though he was known more for his choice of notes and lyricism, Chet proved on this concert that he could do be-bop and hard bop just as easily as the other bop greats, the complexity, speed, technicality of his fast passages is really quite stunning considering by someone considered to be technically slow and undeveloped.

 

[OceanEnthusiast]

hmmm, interesting recstar.

my dad is a classic chet fan, he really likes bepop and has a birthday coming up. any recommendations anyone? i know he has a few chet albums, although not many. he's also an audiophile (which is probably how i was drawn to hi-fi myself, eh heh), so sonic quality of the recording is very important. but yeah, early chet sound would probably be best.... he's also an SACD guy, so that would be an added bonus, although certainly NOT neccessary.

???

 

[daycart1]

I like his horn playing! Somehow the voice doesn't do it for me, though I can see how it could appeal.....

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by daycart1 I like his horn playing! Somehow the voice doesn't do it for me, though I can see how it could appeal.....

I have a buddy that says of his voice, "yeah...but I didn't used to like scotch either". It's something of an acquired taste.