This, ladies and gentlemen, may be the best vocal Jazz album I have ever heard (I say have heard because I've only listened to maybe fifteen albums in the genre). By just destroying any credentials I had in the previous statement, lets move on to the review. This is a West Coast Jazz classic, truly one of the most overlooked outputs of the Cool School of Jazz. While not as technically competant as "Kind of Blue", I manage to listen to it just as much, if not more. Every song included on this disc is a classic standard, and Baker's version of "My Funny Valentine" is the greatest version of the song, beating out Sinatra's rendition by a mile. The instrumentation itself is flawless, as Mr. Baker's trumpet playing guides the band. He was as adept at the trumpet as he was at singing. The low-key and minimalist style of the band is perfect for the songs, and is one of the best bands in Jazz history. Influential and flawless, this is a must-have for any fan of post-war Jazz.

Chet is my main man...Ever since i saw the documentary about him ("Let's Get Lost"), I have never been able to get enough of this man's musical genius. And that goes for both his trumpet-paying and his singing.

Some people try to make the argument that he's really not a singer. Excuse me? Do you have ears? Aside from Billie Holiday, I don't think there is another jazz singer who can touch Baker.

I listen to a lot of singers...from Louie Armstrong to Abbie Lincoln to Nina Simone to Ella to Kurt Elling...and nobody moves me like Baker...

He's phenomenal...Buy this cd...do yourself a favor...

I don't think Chet Baker would be rated by most casual jazz fans as the best male vocalist of his era...probably, he wouldn't be number one even for the trumpet on most lists. However, when you combine his better-than-average singing with his much-better-than-average horn playing and his impeccable taste in songs and his excellent choice of sidemen, you have durable art and a good value for the music lover's money. This CD combines a 1954 recording session with one in '56 using different bass players and drummers. My, does it all hold up well. Call it smooth jazz, call it lounge music, call it pop, even...it's all good. I like the '54 session better because those eight songs are a little stronger overall than the six he produced in '56. If anyone is writing songs this good now, somebody point me to them: "But Not For Me"; "Time After Time"; "I Get Along Without You Very Well"; his signature tune, "My Funny Valentine"; "There Will Never Be Another You" and "I Fall in Love Too Easily." Chet didn't write them, he just demonstrates how good the writers are. If you like lightly swinging love songs, a little trumpet improv in the middle, and a short list of some of the best three-minute pop songs of the century, buy this one. Chet ended up a tragic figure, doomed by heroin, but here he is young and full of promise, enjoying that decade inbetween the end of the Korean War and the start of the Vietnam mistake known generically as "The Fifties." Rock and Roll was just beginning when these sessions were held...ten years later, people like Chet Baker were relegated to cult-type followings, but when these performances were fresh, this kind of music held the main stage.