I have in my possession a selection of original William Claxton photographs of Chet Baker all signed by Chet himself. On one Chet wrote: “These are some of my favourite photographs.” In retrospect, it can be seen that Claxton's iconic shots of the handsome young trumpet player (in tandem with the work of fellow LA lens man Bob Willoughby) proved just as crucial in establishing the Baker image as his bittersweetsounding horn and little boy lost vocals, images just as unique in creating Baker's legend as those of James Dean in his red windbreaker (Rebel Without A Cause) and Marlon Brando decked out in peaked cap and black leather motorcycle jacket (The Wild One). This lavish 18CD box concentrates on the early years covering the period from the original innovative Gerry Mulligan Quartet to Chet relocating to Italy. At this juncture it should be noted that there's absolutely nothing new to be seen or heard here. All the music is in the public domain and readily available in much smaller packages, whereas Claxton's work is copyright protected and familiar by way of its widespread use in books, diaries, posters, record sleeves and calendars. The compilers have also missed a few (obvious) tricks, particularly when Lee Konitz augmented Mulligan's Quartet (Claxton captured the event) plus a marvellous 1955 Chet Baker Quartet date recorded in Paris with ill-fated pianist Dick Twardzik. Not quite sure who this is aimed at. I suspect it's for those who purchased similar multi-disc sets by Billie Holiday, Django Reinhardt and the rest. So, will potential customers be attracted by the musical content or the visual images… or both!