All but two of these 13 tracks date from the late 1950s (the other two were done in 1965), and while Baker's talents were undimmed at this point, this wasn't his best era recording-wise, in terms of either material or bands. For his best you should turn to the earlier Pacific Jazz discs, but this is still a good set of slow and sentimental Baker for those who have heard the peak stuff in this vein and want yet more. "Autumn in New York," recorded in Italy with a string orchestra, is one extreme of his sentimental predilections, yet there's also stuff in a far more straight-ahead vein with the likes of Bill Evans and Kenny Burrell among the backup musicians. "Almost Like Being in Love" is a standout, Baker's trumpet taking on an oddly echoing tone, though with its sharp bebop rhythm it's not really a ballad. Not many vocals on this set, but it does close out with a couple of good Baker-sung standards, "I'm Old Fashioned" and "My Heart Stood Still."
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