Chet Baker was quite busy during three days in August 1965, recording five LPs worth of material with tenor saxophonist
George Coleman (formerly with
Miles Davis), pianist
Kirk Lightsey, bassist
Herman Wright and drummer
Roy Brooks.
Baker, sticking to flugelhorn, is heard in fine form on this CD reissue, which (along with
Stairway to the Stars and
Lonely Star) brings back all of the music in full; each CD also contains all of the liner notes from the five original albums. For this particular reissue, the quintet performs six likable originals by
Richard Carpenter,
Jimmy Mundy's "Sleeping Susan," three
Tadd Dameron tunes, and a
Sonny Stitt blues. Most of the selections are taken at relaxed tempos, but it is the hottest number, "Go-Go," that is most memorable. Considering that
Baker's records of the next few years were consistent commercial turkeys (including A Taste of Tequila, In the Mood, the infamous Albert's House and Blood, Chet and Tears), it can accurately be stated that the Prestige sets are
Chet Baker's last worthwhile recordings before his comeback began in 1974. ~ Scott Yanow