Search - Chet Baker :: This Is Jazz 2

Unevenness isn't always a mixed blessing.

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 05/22/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The lengths to which recording companies are going to recycle much of the "classic" material in their vaults, issuing all sorts of samplers and miscellanies at "attractive" prices and with catch-all titles, may ultimately cost the companies and the music more than the consumer. Verve and Columbia/Sony are the main offenders. Of all the "Ultimate," "Quintessential," Ken Burns' "Definitive," and "This Is Jazz" anthologies I've heard, I can't think of a single one that has enough focus or coherence to insure its being replayed much. They're at best points of reference, occasionally offering convenient access to a nugget or two. But besides detracting from the thematic and musical integrity of the original albums and playing havoc with the "historicity" of styles and sounds, these collections appear to contribute to the mentality that sees "albums" as little more than repositories for MP-3 files or the results of an amateur's indiscriminate CD-burning.This Chet Baker "collection" is really two quite ordinary albums that, when played back to back, bring into bolder relief the limitations of each. The first album, "Chet Baker with Strings," is an early 50's session with dated orchestrations, dated piano voicings, and low fidelity. Moreover, unlike "Charlie Parker with Strings," the trumpet solos are not sufficiently distinguished to overcome their mundane settings. The 2nd album, a session from the mid-70's, is seriously blemished by the dated Fender Rhodes electric piano (moreso when doctored with a phase shifter) and the clearly excessive, depersonalizing reverb added to Chet's vocals. The best thing about the album is Paul Desmond's alto solos on "Autumn Leaves" and "Tangerine.""

Great Music

L. Hunt | Citizen Of The World | 04/29/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Selections from various albums, from the 1953, 1954, and 1974. Nice liner notes by Tom Piazza. Illustrious sidemen include Ron Carter, Bob James, Paul Desmond, Bud Shank, Zoot Sims, Shelly Manne, Steve Gadd, Hubert Laws, Russ Freeman, Joe Mondragon, and others. Chet sings and plays on 2 tracks, and plays on the rest. Beautiful!"