Chet Baker: Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Sessions In Holland

Let us bring sexy back to jazz. Not that it has been misplaced but, in a world where a teenager with a horn can flawlessly navigate "Giant Steps," what seems to be the missing is the seductive element of jazz. We are undoubtedly reminded of the sensuous experience of the music which has always been reflected in the music of Chet Baker as evidenced by these newly discovered sessions from Holland in 1979. Jazz detective Zev Feldman has unearthed more unreleased music from Baker, just as he did with the Chet Baker Trio Live In Paris: The Radio France Recordings 1983-1984 (Elemental Music, 2022).

These sessions were studio-recorded for the Dutch radio program Nine O'Clock Jazz, and unheard until now. They comprise two sessions. The first from April 10th features Baker with his regular pianist Phil Markowitz, Belgian bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, and American drummer Charlie Rice. The second outing from November 9th finds the trumpeter with a pick-up band of Dutch musicians, pianist Frans Elsen, bassist Victor Kaihatu, and drummer Eric Ineke.

Baker's music always had a sense of fragility about it. Like the music (and life) of Billie Holiday there was a delicacy and vulnerability with his expression of sound. That sensitivity is on display in his singing and playing. The April 10th session opens with Wayne Shorter's "Beautiful Black Eyes" performed as a luscious bossa-nova. Baker's tone is tender and unblemished here and throughout. Yes, there had been and would be sessions where Baker falters. Just not here. He sets his horn aside on three tunes, giving us his delicate vocals along with irresistible scatting. A master of the unhurried pace, he takes Miles Davis' "Nardis" at a crawl, but then dashes through "The Best Thing For You" with unexpected speed. The same is true of a brisk take on "Old Devil Moon," where he seems a bit sideways with his pick-up band. Nonetheless, the playing is beyond competent and the sound captured here is outstanding.