Chet Baker (tp) (vcl-*) accompanied by string orchestra  Recorded in Mila, Italy; October, 1959

SIDE 1

1. I Should Care (2:46) (Cahn-Stordahl-Weston)

2. Violets for Your Furs (3:20) (Adair-Dennis)

3. The Song Is You (*) (2:33) (Kern-Hammerstein)

4. When I Fall in Love (*) (3:38) (Young-Heyman)

5. Goodbye (5:07) (Gordon Jenkins)

SIDE 2

1. Autumn in New York (Vernon-Duke)

2. Angel Eyes (*) (4:38) (Brent-Dennis)

3. Street of Dreams (*) (2:20) (Young-Lewis)

4. Forgetful (2:50) (Handy-Segal)

5. Deep in A Dream (*) (4:35) (Van Heusen-De Lange)

About This NEW Jazzland Recording –

　　　The trumpet of CHET BAKER is above all a superb lyrical instrument: romantic, almost tender in its tone, giving a feeling of grass without sharp edges. It is the kind of trumpet sound that cries out for a rich, lush background to give it full lyrical effectiveness. And it is precisely such a backing that is provided here, by a large-scale string orchestra composed of skilled and sensitive Italian musical craftsmen.

　　　This is the second Jazzland album recorded by the West Coast horn star during the course of an extended European tour that got under way, in the Fall of 1959, with a stay in Milan, Italy. As on the other LP cut in that period (Chet Baker in Milan – a sextet date featuring tunes written by top jazzmen like Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan, Sonny Rollins), Chet seems to be in strong and relaxed form. As has so often been the case with American jazz artists abroad, he appears to thrive in the atmosphere of warmth and appreciation that Europeans are apt to provide.

　　　With the full-bodied string support that was made available to him buoying him up like a cushion of warm air, Baker sails melodically through a program featuring top standards like Vernon Duke’s Autumn in New York, Gordon Jenkins’ Goodbye, Matt Dennis’ Angel Eyes. On half of the ten numbers, Chet adds a vocal chorus in his own off-beat style – which is, frankly, very much like caviar, or artichokes: many people enjoy it very much, others not at all, and hardly anyone is in the middle.

　　　Chet Baker, Oklahoma-born and California-raised, first leaped to jazz prominence in 1952 as a member of Gerry Mulligan’s original pianoless quartet (still another member of that group was Chico Hamilton). An immediate favorite of the fans, he became a frequent and consistent poll-winner and has led groups of his own for a number of years with considerable success. But, largely because of the economics of American jazz recording, he has rarely had the opportunity to present his warm ballad style in so properly romantic a setting as he does here.

Recent JAZZLAND releases include:

　　Chet Baker inMIlan – JLP 18 & Stereo 918S

　　The Fourth Herd – Woody Herman Orchestra with Nat Adderley, Zoot Sims – JLP 17 & Stereo 917S

　　Organ-izing –Mel Rhyne, organ; with Blue Mitchell, Johnny Griffin, Gene Harris – JLP 16 & Stereo 916S

　　West Coast Blues – JLP 20 & Stereo 920S