Career: 1952-1988 [Live]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
During his lifetime it became difficult to separate Chet Baker's music from the sad legend he became; a textbook case of psychological disconnectedness. At the beginning of his career his matinee idol looks sometimes distracted audiences from his musical gifts. Thereafter, his drug addiction overshadowed nearly every move he made, making his artistic impulses somehow suspect. This two-disc anthology sets the record straight, dividing the recordings into his trumpet playing and his singing. The former has always been justly lauded. His cool phrasing on the trumpet was always known to draw forth emotional resonance from the simplest of melodies. His talented singing is showcased in such a way to present how his voice could resonant the same emotional stirrings as his trumpet work. With his biography presented with brief but poetic insight, this set is a perfect portrait of the man. --David Greenberger

Album Description
The only collection to cover all phases of Chet Baker's remarkable career! Deluxe 2-CD set with 60-page booklet!

Chet Baker, the paragon of cool jazz, is one of the enduring greats, known for both his trumpet playing and his equally fragile-sounding singing. Early on, his good looks made him the James Dean of jazz. But his musical gifts never deserted him, as Career 1952–1988 amply demonstrates. This 2-CD set provides a complete overview of his entire career.

Tracks:

My Funny Valentine - Gerry Mulligan Quartet
Half Nelson - Stan Getz & Chet Baker
Love Walked In - Chet Baker
Pro Defunctus - Chet Baker
Alone Together - Chet Baker
Love Nest - Russ Freeman & Chet Baker
When Lights Are Low - Chet Baker
Well, You Needn't - Chet Baker Sextet
Over The Rainbow - Chet Baker Sextet
Romas - Chet Baker Quintet
Tangerine - Chet Baker
Line For Lyons - Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker
The Best Thing For You - Chet Baker
Strollin' - Chet Baker
Look For The Silver Lining - Chet Baker

Tracks:

Let's Get Lost - Chet Baker
The Thrill Is Gone - Chet Baker
Everything Happens To Me - Chet Baker
That Old Feeling - Chet Baker
It Could Happen To You - Chet Baker
My Heart Stood Still - Chet Baker
The Song Is You - Chet Baker
Chetty's Lullaby - Chet Baker with Ennio Morricone & His Orchestra
Born To Be Blue - Chet Baker
The Touch Of Your Lips - Chet Baker
With A Song In My Heart - Chet Baker
What'll I Do - Chet Baker
If You Could See Me Now - Chet Baker
But Not For Me - Chet Baker
There Will Never Be Another You - Chet Baker
Almost Blue - Chet Baker
My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker

Amazon.com

During his lifetime it became difficult to separate Chet Baker's music from the sad legend he became; a textbook case of psychological disconnectedness. At the beginning of his career his matinee idol looks sometimes distracted audiences from his musical gifts. Thereafter, his drug addiction overshadowed nearly every move he made, making his artistic impulses somehow suspect. This two-disc anthology sets the record straight, dividing the recordings into his trumpet playing and his singing. The former has always been justly lauded. His cool phrasing on the trumpet was always known to draw forth emotional resonance from the simplest of melodies. His talented singing is showcased in such a way to present how his voice could resonant the same emotional stirrings as his trumpet work. With his biography presented with brief but poetic insight, this set is a perfect portrait of the man. --David Greenberger

Album Description

The only collection to cover all phases of Chet Baker's remarkable career! Deluxe 2-CD set with 60-page booklet!

Chet Baker, the paragon of cool jazz, is one of the enduring greats, known for both his trumpet playing and his equally fragile-sounding singing. Early on, his good looks made him the James Dean of jazz. But his musical gifts never deserted him, as Career 1952-1988 amply demonstrates. This 2-CD set provides a complete overview of his entire career.

Customer Reviews:

The best Chet Baker collection yet!.......2005-07-19

Clearly with 331 search results returned from a search for "Chet Baker" you're going to have a hard time finding the right way to start a Chet Baker collection. He has more than a few great records but this one does the best job yet of choosing the finest material from his entire career (hence the title). The discs are broken out into one for his instrumental work and one for his vocal work. I can't say one is better than the other: they're both excellent. His early work with Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan shows a remarkably talented yet subdued trumpeter. If he never sang in front of a microphone he would still be worthy of great praise. Thankfully he found his second talent for act two fo his career. The second disc displays his unique vocal style on such classics as "The Song Is You," "What'll I Do," "But Not For Me," and of course "My Funny Valentine."

Pick this up for yourself and pick one up for a friend while you're at it. Neither of you will be disappointed.

Music:

Music

Music