Chet Baker

Chet Baker Quartet Vol.1 was the first album recorded by Baker in Europe. Before that 1955 tour, he had never been to the Old Continent. Traveling with him was pianist Dick Twardzik, a highly talented player who had been praised by the likes of fellow pianist Russ Freeman (who encouraged him to record his only session as a leader) and Charlie Parker (who called Twardzik to back him during several Boston engagements).

Twardzik would die in Paris at the age of 24 due to a heroin overdose a few days after recording the two sessions included on the present album. Matt Collar gave this music a four-and-a-half-star rating in All Music Guide, stating that, “This Barclay LP features trumpeter Chet Baker in quartet with Boston-area piano prodigy Dick Twardzik, bassist Jimmy Bond, and drummer Peter Littman. They focus solely on Bob Zieff compositions. Although generally regarded at the time as a lyrical, emotionally direct musician who purportedly couldn’t read music and instead played by ‘ear’, Baker immediately connected with Zieff’s music. It’s fascinating to hear him bring the same raw emotion and romantic yearning that he brought to a standard like ‘My Funny Valentine’ to Zieff’s spare compositions. Cuts like ‘Sad Walk’, ‘Just Duo’, and ‘Brash’, are sweetly lyrical and swinging, yet shaded with harmonies that are noir-ish in tone.

PERSONNEL:

CHET BAKER, trumpet
DICK TWARDZIK, piano
JIMMY BOND, bass
PETER LITTMAN, drums

Pathé-Magellan Studio, Paris, France, October 11 (A1, A3, A4, B1 & B2)
& October 14 (A2, A5, B3 & B4), 1955.

SIDE A:

01 RONDETTE
02 PIECE CAPRICE
03 MID-FORTE
04 RE-SEARCH
05 POMP

SIDE B:

01 SAD WALK
02 JUST DUO
03 THE GIRL FROM GREENLAND
04 BRASH