Jazz Icons: Chet Baker Live in '64 and '79
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chet BakerDVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Enhanced, Live, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 71 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-09-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Tdk DVD Video
Movie Reviews of Jazz Icons: Chet Baker Live in '64 and '79
Movie Review: Brittle genius
Summary: 5 Stars
Chet Baker was many things: trumpeter, singer, junkie, icon. But the most important label, and the only one that really matters, is artist. Baker was one of the few musicians who could break your heart every time you listened to him play. His buttery tone and beautiful phrasing exemplified the best of the West Coast school of jazz. Baker's compelling talent and charismatic presence is shown to its fullest in this superb Jazz Icons DVD, which presents the late trumpeter in two performance settings filmed 15 years apart. Leading off is a 1964 Belgian television special that finds him in the company of several leading European musicians: French pianist Rene Urtreger, Belgian saxophonist Jacques Pelzer, and an Italian rhythm section comprised of bassist Luigi Trussardi and drummer Franco Manzecchi. The softly lit studio space enhances the intimate, after-hours ambience as Baker and his group tear through spirited versions of "Bye Bye Blackbird" and "Airegin," explore the emotional terrain of "Isn't it Romantic" and "Time After Time," and finish up with an all-too-brief, oh-so-cool version of the Miles Davis classic "So What." The high point of the set is Baker's vocal on the ballad "Time After Time." His singing, like his trumpet playing, was simple, pure and unforgettable. Every note seemed to channel all the pain and frustration of his personal life. By the time of this 1979 Norway concert performance, Baker's once angelic features had eroded and hardened due to the ravages of dope and time, yet he still played with a lyricism that put Gabriel and his trumpet to shame. In fact, his playing had more depth and texture than ever. Baker seems inspired and energized by his band of young, forward-looking musicians--pianist Michel Graillier, bassist Jean Louis Rassinfosse and vibraphonist Wolfgang Lackerschmid. The trumpeter's hauntingly beautiful solos blend seamlessly with the slightly more out improvisations of the youngsters. Calmly seated at the front of the stage, Baker spins out a seemingly inexhaustible flow of inspired phrases as he works through familiar favorites like "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" and "Love for Sale," as well as an intriguing original by Lackerschmid that takes jazz into chamber music territory. Watching this precious archival footage is like experiencing a musical clinic in dynamics, swing and emotion. Or, to sum it up in a single word, artistry.
Summary of Jazz Icons: Chet Baker Live in '64 and '79
Jazz Icons: Chet Baker features two concerts by the foremost interpreter of the West Coast school of cool jazz. Filmed in Europe 15 years apart, these two shows seen together provide an overview of Baker?'s illustrious career. The fi rst show is a haunting 1964 performance in a Belgian TV studio with a quartet including long-time sidemen saxophonist Jacques Pelzer and French pianist Rene Urtreger. Songs include the Miles Davis classic, ?"So What,?" and the jazz standard ?"Time After Time?" (a very rare rendition featuring Chet?'s ?"Cool?" vocal style.) The soulful 1979 set from Norway, with a trio featuring vibraphonist Wolfgang Lackerschmid, highlights the growth and maturity of this troubled but inspiring artist.Physically, the contrast between the two Chet Bakers on view in Live in '64 and '79, another entry in the superb Jazz Icons series, is striking. The earlier concert, recorded (in black & white) in Belgium with a Belgian saxophonist, a French pianist, and an Italian rhythm section, all of them excellent players, finds the trumpeter in pretty decent shape, considering the fact that his drug addiction had already landed him in jail or rehab well over ten times. But 15 years later, when he appeared in Norway (again backed by some fine European players), his hard life had taken a visible toll; not yet 50, he appears considerably older, his matinee idol looks of the 1950s now a fading memory. And yet, amazingly, Baker's playing in both concerts is top-notch, and the Norwegian show is arguably the better of the two. His instrument for the '64 gig is the flugelhorn, and its mellower tone is ideal for Baker's cool, lyrical style. Flashy virtuosity wasn't his thing, even on an uptempo version of Sonny Rollins' "Airegin" or a take on "So What" that's faster than Miles Davis' classic original (the Belgian show also contains the only vocal number on the DVD, with Baker's voice, famously vulnerable and high-pitched, well suited to "Time After Time"). The '79 concert, filmed in color, matches Baker with a drum-less ensemble featuring piano, vibraphone, and bass; the repertoire is more adventurous, including a too-short take on John Coltrane's "Blue Train," a terrific duet with vibist Wolfgang Lackerschmid on the latter's "Five Years Ago," and an extended, beautifully arranged version of Cole Porter's "Love For Sale." As always with the Jazz Icons series, the sound and visuals are remarkably clean and clear, the liner notes are illuminating, and the accompanying photos and other material are beautifully presented. --Sam Graham
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