Chet Baker

The collaborations between Chet Baker and Art Pepper were originally issued in such a disparity of ways that it might seem difficult at first to think about them as a coherent body of work. Their first session, for instance, was originally segmented, with each tune being issued on a separate Bcompilation album. Many times the selections were Beven abridged, suppressing a solo here or there. (Although it was recorded at the Forum Theatre, in Los Angeles, the aforementioned date is not a live Nconcert but a studio session, with no audience.) Along with another equally splendid session, it was BNincluded in Baker and Pepper’s most famous album together, Playboys, which was also released (with a totally different cover but identical liner notes!) under the title Picture of Heath (the title of the first song, and a reminder that nearly all of the album’s tunes were Jimmy Heath’s compositions –two are by Art Pepper). Jazz critic Todd Selbert wrote about the Playboys sessions in one of its numerous reeditions: “In the relatively short history of jazz on record, many an album has been produced with the thinking that, if one star soloist can make great music, two can make greater music. This edition restores the complete sessions that produced this outstanding album.