Chet Baker –Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Periods in Holland
(Jazz Detective. DDJD-007. LP overview by Andrew Cartmel)

The brainchild of Zev Feldman (see INTERVIEW hyperlink beneath), Jazz Detective is maybe the perfect moniker for a file label ever (*). Devoted to monitoring down uncommon and misplaced tapes, Jazz Detective has dropped at our ears excellent music by the perfect musicians — on this case, Chet Baker who in 1979 recorded two classes for Dutch radio which have gone basically unheard since.

The primary session befell on 10 April 1979 at VARA Studio 2, in Hilversum, North Holland, with Baker’s then present touring band, consisting of the American Phil Markowitz on piano, Belgian Jean-Louis Rassinfosse on bass, and one other American, Charlie Rice, on drums (Rice had recorded with Chet Baker earlier than, in New York within the mid-Nineteen Sixties).

The second session was recorded in the identical studio on 9 November with an entire change of line up. This time Baker used an area choose up band shaped of Dutch musicians Frans Elsen on piano, Victor Kaihatu on bass and Eric Ineke on drums.

Wayne Shorter’s Lovely Black Eyes has a laid-back, bossa nova groove with Phil Markowitz offering wealthy runs on the piano then changing into sweetly selective and sparing. Baker seems like he’s taking pleasure in his personal taking part in right here, loosening up and likewise rushing up because the tune develops. Burke and Van Heusen’s Oh, You Loopy Moon options Chet singing which, at this late date, tends to make the listener — or no less than this listener — tense up and brace for the worst. However he’s in remarkably good condition, solely often evidencing the years and the harm they’ve inflicted. What’s extra, his scatting is participating. The truth is it borders on the enchanting — superbly recorded and placing him within the room with the listener, alive and effectively (effectively, alive anyway) in spite of everything these years.

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Baker’s personal Blue Gilles begins with him sculpting the themes out of silence together with his incisive, articulate solo. Then when Markowitz’s piano is available in, underpinned by some delicate and delicately judged bass by Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, we start to understand what a high-quality partnership that is. Charlie Rice imperceptibly insinuates himself into the proceedings with muted cymbals. And though that is Baker’s composition it’s a showcase of Markowitz who makes lovely use of area in his solo. Baker performs like a person with a number of time — on a regular basis on the planet. Which sadly was not the case (9 years left at this level).

Nardis is maybe even higher, with a kind of majestic depth and a darker tone; possibly Baker is on his mettle dealing with a composition by Miles Davis, a trumpeter who may outgun him (and everyone else on the planet). Markowitz performs with a hypnotic, repetitive urgency right here and Rassinfosse enriches the colors. It ends with a dreamy really feel of loss and heartbreak.

Blue Room, a Rogers and Hart traditional, is measured and lazily lyrical, extending over 16 minutes. Markowitz’s taking part in is notable on this — percussive, adroit and exploratory. And he attracts out the perfect in Baker, who sounds warmly engaged. Down by Miles Davis is approach too cool to overtly swagger however strongly giving that feeling all through. Sweet reaches again to swing and the early Tin Pan Alley days of jazz after which goes on an extended and interesting odyssey, that includes a plump and pleasing bass solo by Victor Kaihatu alongside the way in which. It does additionally characteristic Baker singing some slightly collapsed vocals. However he’s again in surprisingly good voice on My Ideally suited and there are flashes right here of the singer who knocked the ladies out of their Bobby socks.

On Luscious Lou Baker’s eldritch elegant trumpet splendidly introduces the tune, spare and exquisite, and finally ends up participating and intimately confiding. And Previous Satan Moon is heat and breezy — a kind of California seashore interpretation with Chet Baker’s excessive pace log off sounding paradoxically laid again and relaxed: the work of a grasp.

The unique recording engineers — the fantastically named Jim Rip, assisted on the second session by Jan Stellingwerff — clearly knew what they have been doing right here. The sound high quality is first price, clear, heat and clear. And crucially they seize Chet Baker on high-quality type, making this album important for Baker fanatics and effectively well worth the consideration of everybody else.

(*) Andrew Cartmel is the creator of the Vinyl Detective collection. Titan Books are about to publish Quantity 7 within the collection

LINKS: Interview by Morgan Enos with Zev Feldman
Purchase Blue Room