Perhaps for far too long Chet Baker the crooner has received a bad press. The fact that he played this side of his talent very low key may have been one of the problems. Chet liked to sing and it would appear that outside of the 1950s self-appointed jazz police a lot of people enjoyed listening to his unadorned plaintive vulnerable little-boy-lost delivery, which was not unlike his vibrato-free approach to the trumpet. “Maybe one day I’ll throw those critics a curve ball and sing some of those old Hank Williams song I learnt as a kid,” he once jokingly told me. Whatever, these performances have been recycled on so many different occasions that they must now qualify for inclusion in the Guinness Book Of Records! Fact: there can’t be too many Jazzwisers who aren’t familiar with this material, which young Chet originally recorded for both Pacific Jazz and Riverside before fleeing to Europe. Though not nearly as technically adept as say, Mel Tormé or as versatile as finger-poppin’ Sinatra, Chet’s haunting understated approach and a desire to remain faithful to the composers original top line drew the listener in making him that more accessible.

With few exceptions, these recordings mainly capture Chet in a quartet format with either (the still much underrated) Russ Freeman or Kenny Drew at the piano.The choice of repertoire is impeccable. The overly familiar ‘My Funny Valentine’, ‘But Not For Me’ and ‘Do It The Hard Way’ may well be among the main attractions, but intimate readings of ‘I Fall In Love Too Easily’ and one of his own particular favourites ‘Long Ago And Far Away.’ If you’re a fan of Mis’tah Chet, then ignore all those post-1960 vocal recordings he made in Europe and give these a second chance.