Jazz for aficionados

Few albums that I got lately...

'Crystal Bells'  Chet Baker performing within a trio setting with the Belgian duo of guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse

'Baker thrived in the company of the like-minded Belgians, whose bop-inflected technical prowess on their instruments was also matched by their deft sense for melodicism and sympathetic group interplay. As accompanists alone, they're superb cohorts for the jazz legend, hanging their ears on each of his notes, outlining the harmonies behind him, and buoying his soft, lyrical phrases. There are also subtle stylistic juxtapositions within the trio with Catherine's choice of electric, amplified guitar allowing for the occasional foray into country twang, or ambient, fusion-infused colorations. Similarly, though, Rassinfosse's velvety double-bass lines reveal the influence of the impressionistic tone of Ron Carter, and he never fails to imply a clipped rhythmic pulse; a necessary skill in the drummerless setting Baker often favored in his later years. Ultimately, Crystal Bells is an absolutely magical session with inspired performances that still ring true so many years after Baker's passing'

.https://youtu.be/076gno93owo

Chet Baker in Tokyo

...'this one shows him to have still been in complete control of his musical faculties, playing not just beautifully and well, but with energy and even speed despite his deteriorating health. His singing, too, sounds uncannily like that of the quiet young sex symbol he'd been in the 1950s, before age and heroin ravaged his face and emptied his eyes. Accompanied beautifully by pianist Harold Danko, bassist Hein Van Der Geyn and drummer John Engels, Baker plays a surprisingly varied set, from Jimmy Heath's hard bop standard "For Minors Only" to "Four" by Miles Davis and the delicately anguished "Almost Blue," written for him by Elvis Costello. Here he still plays with the sweet, dry tone that made him famous and helped to define an entire school of West Coast jazz, and sings in a voice remarkably similar to that of his trumpet. Given its context, you can't miss the poignancy of this recording; but the playing is so sweet and happy that it's also impossible to resist the spirit in which these performances were offered -- a spirit which was anything but sad.'

https://youtu.be/eZAuY5M7J-Y

Art Farmer Ph.D

'Flugelhornist Art Farmer recorded quite a few records with tenor-saxophonist Clifford Jordan during the late '80s/early '90s. This sextet outing (which also includes guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist James Williams, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith) was one of their better efforts. With the exception of "Like Someone in Love," all of the material is obscure. James Williams contributes three tunes that alternate with songs by Donald Brown, Thad Jones, Kenny Drew and Clifford Jordan. The advanced hard bop music has enough unpredictable moments to hold one's interest.'

https://youtu.be/9OklcqiptlM

A lot of good stuff lately.  Thank to everyone!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2HnUNNiTn9k

Da Count

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9H1fjuij_U&list=RDNDZuB6ffc8w&index=8

Cheers