Search - Chet Baker :: Most Important Jazz Album of 1964-65

The Most Middling Jazz Album of 1964/65

Thomas Horan | Chapel Hill, NC | 09/09/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album showcases some enjoyable material but lacks direction. It seems like Chet couldn't decide whether he wanted to make an album of romantic standards or hard-bop workouts, so he oscillates between the two and even attempts to blend both styles on his vocal rendition of Walkin'. The focus is further diluted by the absence of his clear, golden trumpet. Chet plays the flugelhorn instead which has a muffled, lackluster tone that pales in comparison to saxophonist Phil Urso's cool tenor grooves.



I do think this record gains significant momentum after the second song, and there is nothing weak included on it. But Chet, apart from when he sings, is largely overshadowed by his buoyant sidemen. The drugs hadn't yet destroyed his voice or his chops, but in the era of modal, free, and avant-garde jazz, the self-proclaimed "Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/1965" sounds pleasantly quaint at best.



To truly appreciate Chet's extraordinary genius, check out his early collaborations with Gerry Mulligan, his astonishing 1962 album "Chet is Back!", and his complete studio recordings with Dick Twardzik."