The gentle poet of the trumpet – that was his image. So, it came as something of a surprise for European audiences to hear the Chet Baker they discovered at his live concerts. A trumpeter with a decisive attacca style and lively boppy lines, accompanied by a pianist who combined innovative harmonies with bizarre rhythms and a drummer who propelled the band with a hard, driving beat.

No one was prepared for this Chet Baker Quartet, featuring pianist Dick Twardzik, bassist Jimmy Bond and drummer Peter Littman. “Bockhanal” is the earliest number on Early Chet and a particularly valuable rarity: just four weeks after this concert, the quartet no longer existed. Aged just 24, the pianist Dick Twardzik died a drug overdose in Paris on October 21, 1955.

Chet Baker continued his European tour with a variety of accompanying musicians. And every so often as a soloist. He was also a welcome guest of Joachim-Ernst Berendt, who would invite Baker on two further occasions to Baden-Baden to record with the Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra.

The idea of recording singer Caterina Valente in duet with Chet Baker was also ahead of its time: “I’ll Remember April” and “Every Time We Say Goodbye”. “Just Caterina and Chet – no one else. A meeting of ultimate refinement and ultimate simplicity,” wrote Joachim-Ernst Berendt. In these intimate duets, Chet Baker plays trumpet as only he knows how: delicate, melodic, supple.

In July 1959 he headed back to Europe and returned to Baden-Baden as well. This time he made recordings with the Rolf-Hans Müller Orchestra. Particularly convincing are his performances in “Polka Dots and Moonbeams”. And in “Autumn in New York” he coolly rubs against the grain. In a spontaneous final cadence, “Early Chet” sets out his personal agenda: to communicate real depth using few notes.

Chet Baker – Trumpet
Chet Baker Quartet
Caterina Valente – Vocals
Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra
Rolf-Hans Muller Orchestra

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