Chet Baker - Baker’’s Holiday (Plays Billie Holiday) Genre: Jazz / cool, West Coast Original Release Date: April 30, 1965 Tracks: 10 Time: 46:44 Label: Verve/Polygram
BAKER’’S HOLIDAY is an endearing and smoky tribute to singing legend Billie Holiday. Backed by a smartly arranged reed section, Chet Baker and his quartet swing with great dynamism on all 10 tracks. Jimmy Mundy’’s arrangements give this album the feel of a 1940’’s big band, and Baker seems comfortable recreating some of the mystique and elegance of a bygone era. On this album, Baker plays only the flugelhorn; the instrument’’s dark and mellow tone only adds to Baker’’s already wistful sense of melodiousness. We hear this most poignantly on “Don’’t Explain,” a composition co-written by Billie Holiday herself. Here, Baker mournfully “sings” the melody on his horn, while an English horn echoes him hauntingly. Baker sings on four of the 10 tracks, and his boyish, soft-spoken singing style is right at home with these classic tunes. Here, without copying Holiday, Baker through his elusive musical genius conjures her magic.
Allmusic.com: Baker’’s Holiday finds Chet Baker effectively paying tribute to Billie Holiday with mellow trumpet solos and occasional vocals. Baker is backed by a full sax section and a four-piece rhythm section that includes pianist Hank Jones; Jimmy Mundy contributed the colorful arrangements. His performance of ten songs associated with Lady Day (most of which he had not recorded previously) is often exquisite.
Personnel:
Chet Baker, flugelhorn verett Barksdale, guitar Leon Cohen, reeds Richard Anthony Davis, bass Henry Freeman, reeds Wilford Holcombe, reeds Hank Jones, piano Connie Kay, drums Seldon Powell, reeds Alan Ross, reeds
Tracks: 1. Travelin’’ Light (Mercer, Mundy, Young) 3:08 2. Easy Living (Rainger, Robin) 3:21 3. That Ole Devil Called Love (Fisher, Roberts) 3:16 4. You’’re My Thrill (Clare, Gorney) 2:58 5. Crazy She Calls Me (Russell, Sigman) 3:20 6. When Your Lover Has Gone (Swan) 2:54 7. Mean to Me (Ahlert, Turk) 3:35 8. These Foolish Things (Link, Marvell, Strachey) 3:30 9. There Is No Greater Love (Jones, Symes) 2:34 10. Don’’t Explain (Herzog, Holiday) 3:27