Chet Baker Plays And Sings The Great Ballads

His movie star good looks, his brilliant natural gift for the trumpet and his seductive vocals turned Chet Baker very quickly into a jazz cult icon in the '50s. The 10 tracks here featuring his vocals as well as trumpet date from that period. His soloing is clear toned and spacey, with long lyrical lines that twist the melodies. His almost conversational tenor vocals are disarmingly simple and stick closely to the bare bones of the melody with just the subtlest variation. All the tracks here are classics and include his trademark "My Funny Valentine," the lovely "I Fall in Love Too Easily," a quietly swinging "My Buddy" and a haunted "You Don't Know What Love Is."

Craft Recordings is pleased to announce the release of Chet Baker’s The Legendary Riverside Albums. The deluxe album set presents the artist’s output as a leader for the renowned jazz label, recorded and released between 1958 and 1959: (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen To You, Chet Baker In New York, Chet and Chet Baker Plays The Best Of Lerner And Loewe. The recordings, which feature such icons as Bill Evans, Johnny Griffin and Kenny Burrell, have been cut from their original analog master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio.