CHET BAKER - Live In London Volume II
Ubuntu Music - UBU00014
Chet Baker - trumpet & vocals; John Horler - piano; Jim Richardson - bass; Tony Mann - drums
Last year’s surprise re-discovery of Jim Richardson’s Sony Walkman cassette archive, cleaned up after sitting in a shoe-box for 33 years and re-issued by Ubuntu, was a revelation to many, and the initial release was popular enough for this follow-up to be issued from the same source. Baker had worked with Richardson and Mann before and requested them for the gig, and these recordings bear out the wisdom of his choice - as on the initial release, the trio sound superb - supple, sophisticated and totally in tune with the leader.As before, Horler’s piano playing is great as well, both comping and in solo, and though the sound here is a little tinny so that some details of his touch are lost, his richly creative imagination shines through. His fluid romanticism is reminiscent of George Cables, much favoured by the similarly gifted and troubled West Coast star Art Pepper, and the matching of ideas and taste is similarly compatible.
Chet himself sounds loud and clear and his playing is uniformly superb, as on the earlier release. It’s interesting to hear him tackle more contemporary sounding material such as ‘Dolphin Dance’ and Richie Beirach’s ‘Broken Wing’ alongside the classic standards that made his reputation. ‘My Ideal’ has him singing and sounding heartbreakingly worn and a touch adenoidal, but his trumpet playing is as fresh and vital as ever. There are two discs of music here, and with all the tracks clocking in at the ten minute mark there’s a real sense of creative abundance. A welcome re-discovery, even in today’s crowded reissue market.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Ubuntu Music - UBU00014
Chet Baker - trumpet & vocals; John Horler - piano; Jim Richardson - bass; Tony Mann - drums
Last year’s surprise re-discovery of Jim Richardson’s Sony Walkman cassette archive, cleaned up after sitting in a shoe-box for 33 years and re-issued by Ubuntu, was a revelation to many, and the initial release was popular enough for this follow-up to be issued from the same source. Baker had worked with Richardson and Mann before and requested them for the gig, and these recordings bear out the wisdom of his choice - as on the initial release, the trio sound superb - supple, sophisticated and totally in tune with the leader.As before, Horler’s piano playing is great as well, both comping and in solo, and though the sound here is a little tinny so that some details of his touch are lost, his richly creative imagination shines through. His fluid romanticism is reminiscent of George Cables, much favoured by the similarly gifted and troubled West Coast star Art Pepper, and the matching of ideas and taste is similarly compatible.
Chet himself sounds loud and clear and his playing is uniformly superb, as on the earlier release. It’s interesting to hear him tackle more contemporary sounding material such as ‘Dolphin Dance’ and Richie Beirach’s ‘Broken Wing’ alongside the classic standards that made his reputation. ‘My Ideal’ has him singing and sounding heartbreakingly worn and a touch adenoidal, but his trumpet playing is as fresh and vital as ever. There are two discs of music here, and with all the tracks clocking in at the ten minute mark there’s a real sense of creative abundance. A welcome re-discovery, even in today’s crowded reissue market.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
