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Chet Baker - Live In Copenhagen, December 11 1955 ** |
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Friday, 29 January 2010 10:51 |
RLR Records RLR88653 | Chet Baker (t, v), Werner Rehm (t), Dick Simon (tb)Gusti Mayer (clt), Phil Urso, Jean Louis Chautemps(ts), Louis Freichel (vbs), Gerd Schuttrumpf (g),Russ Freeman, Bobby Timmons, Francy Boland,Ralph Schecroun, Claus Ogerman (p), Carson Smith, Scott Le Faro, Jimmy Bond , Eddie De Haa,Benoit Quersins (b), Bob Neel, Peter Littman,Laurence Mirable, Charles Saudrais (d). Rec. 1954,1955 and 1956
As with Charlie Parker, such is theplethora of live recordings by Mis’tah Chet that one has to be extremely careful not to duplicatealready widely available material when approaching shabby low-fireleases like this. In the summer of1957, Chet recorded one of hisbest studio albums of the periodwith a feisty quintet he dubbed TheCrew: a hard bop brigade whichincluded pianist Bobby Timmonsand Lestorian tenor man Phil Urso.
So forget Copenhagen and a stodgy set with an uninspired group of locals trying not to get under the leader’s feet and hone in on the last six live selections by The Crew with Phil Urso shoulderto-shoulder with Chet (‘Jumpin’ Off A Clef’) plus a few air shots with Russ Freeman (‘Stella By Starlight’) that amount to the high point – but only just! Better still, give this a complete miss and seek out the Chet Baker & Crew CD reissue.
Roy Carr
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