As cool as even Chet gets - Highly recommended!
Eric E. Lane | High Tech, Ca USA | 06/28/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a great CD to snuggle with your sweetheart by. Very comfortable. Nice arrangements. A few of the string arrangements duplicate the 'Chet with Strings' CD, but lay out well within the tracks here. This was recorded in '59 during Chet's first stay in Italy. His voice is better than the 'Best of Chet Sings' CD. This is one of Chet's 'clean' times... so everything is as good as he gets. The one drawback on a few songs is a concert hall (or big bar) acoustic/echo effect. Other than that, This rates as one of my favorite Chet CD's (and I have 30+!)."
A re-release under a new title.
Gordon Matthews | Durham, NC USA | 04/22/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This collection combines in their entirety two CD's currently available in the OJC series: Chet Baker In Milan and Chet Baker with Fifty Italian Strings. If you have those you don't need this collection, but if you don't you might find it generally worthwhile- it's certainly inexpensive. The sound quality is comparable to the OJC versions; unfortunately, Cool Spring intermingles tracks from the two albums at random instead of presenting first one album and then the other. Like most people, I'd rather hear the original sequencing, and it's hard to imagine why the material should be presented in this perverse form. Also, the description in the product heading is erroneous- these are studio recordings, not live recordings.
As far as the quality of the music goes, I'm pretty much in agreement with the other reviewer (except that I actually enjoy the slight echo chamber effect). I agree that Chet Baker In Milan is one of his best recordings from this period, even though the accompanying musicians are not names that we recognize. And if the idea of jazz with strings makes you nervous, as it does me, you might want to make an exception in this case. These arrangements are not gooey or sappy, and provide an appropriate background for Chet's romantic playing and singing. But you might want to spend a little more and get the OJC version instead."
Accurate performer credits
Barb | 11/16/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Amazon has posted songwriter names with the tracks, as if they perform here. The players on these tracks, performed live in Italy in 1959 and arranged by Guilio Libani, are:
Tracks 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 14, and 16: Chet Baker (trumpet), Glauco Masetti (alto sax), Gianni Basso (tenor sax), Renato Sellani (piano), Franco Cerri (bass), and Gene Victory (drums).
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, and 17: Chet Baker (trumpet), Mario Pezzotta (trombone), Glauco Massetti (alto sax), Gianni Basso (tenor sax), Renato Sellani (piano), Fausto Papetti (baritone sax), Franco Cerri (bass), and Gene Victory (drums). (This latter group includes strings.)"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1