Chet and Bird
My first impressions of Chet Baker come from his album Chet Baker Sings, from 1956. This laid back album is full of ballads and a cool feel that is vastly different than his style when he plays with Charlie Parker. Chet’s sound seems a bit more out of control on his recordings with Bird. It’s interesting to hear him play loud and fast for once. I enjoy the story of Chet auditioning to play with Charlie. I just imagine a room packed wall to wall with jazz trumpet players, dying to get up there and play with Bird. Right after, Chet gets up there and they all have to go home. There must have been something really special about Chet for Charlie to not even want to hear any of the other players. Although Chet takes the back seat on most of the recordings, I think that playing with a legend like Bird was helpful for his career, and his sound, allowing him to let go just a bit of his usually very controlled sound.
