During a three-day period in 1965, trumpeter
Chet Baker (who during the era was exclusively playing flugelhorn) recorded five albums for Prestige that were soon forgotten, despite their quality. In 1997, the entire program was reissued on three CDs (which also include
Lonely Star and
On a Misty Night), showing that
Baker was in excellent form at the time.
Chet is teamed with tenor saxophonist
George Coleman, pianist
Kirk Lightsey (in top form), bassist
Herman Wright and drummer
Roy Brooks; the one-time gathering group on the whole sometimes recalls
the Miles Davis Quintet of 1956. There are some occasional missteps (
Baker gets a bit lost during the rapid rendition of "Cherokee" that opens this CD), but overall, the music (some light swingers and a few more heated tracks) is quite rewarding. Producer
Richard Carpenter (
Baker's manager at the time and best known for writing "Walkin'") contributed three songs to this set (and 13 others to the other two CDs), which also includes three jazz standards, a few obscurities, and three
Tadd Dameron originals. Enjoyable straight-ahead music. ~ Scott Yanow