He is the master of trumpet jazz. This is the most orginal CD I have ever heard. His playing is better than people give him credit for. This is what jazz in the 1950's was like. This is how Jazz should be !

This disc is actually "Quartet: Russ Freeman and Chet Baker" & is a Russ Freeman session issued under Chet's name. Russ composed 6 of the 8 tunes & he makes Chet work for his wages.

The album opens amusingly with "Love Nest," otherwise known as the theme for the Burns & Allen Show. Russ takes the lovely "Summer Sketch" solo half of the way through, then bringing Chet in for no more than a wonderfully pensive turn at the melody. That's followed by, for me, the album's two most swinging cuts, "An Afternoon at Home" & "Say When." They also pay homage to Billy Strayhorn with a romantic arrangement of "Lush Life."

This is top notch West Coast playing, with Shelly Manne on sticks & Leroy Vinnegar on big fiddle. Recorded in 1956. No singing. Check out the thumbnails on the insert by photographer William Claxton then check out the collections of great photos Claxton shot of this era & these talented musicians.

Bob Rixon, WFMU

These recordings, made between February and October 1953, feature Baker at the threshold of his carreer and vividly show his ceativity and promise. Anyone who questions why he continues to be held in such high esteem, should find the answer in listening to this CD.

There's a story that Charlie Parker, upon returning to New York from a trip to California, warned Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis about a new, young trumpet player out there named Chet Baker. These recordings demonstrate that the warning was justified.