Recorded and released in The Netherlands by Gerry Teekens for his Criss Cross label in 1985, Chet's Choice marked one of the best studio albums from Chet Baker's final years. He would die in The Netherlands, after falling from the window of his hotel room in Amsterdam on May 13, 1988. Chet's Choice presents Baker, beautifully captured in stereo, singing and playing the trumpet in an intimate trio format with guitarist Philip Catherine (born in England but raised in Belgium, Chet frequently worked with him from 1983 to 1988) and Belgian bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse on most of the tracks (three tunes were taped during a preceding session with Dutch bassist Hein Van de Geyn).
1. | If I Should Lose You (Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin) 4:39 | |
2. | Sad Walk (Bob Zieff) 5:37 | |
3. | How Deep Is The Ocean (Irving Berlin) 6:27 | |
4. | Doodlin' (Horace Silver) 5:37 | |
5. | My Foolish Heart (Victor Young / Ned Washington) 9:25 | |
6. | Conception (Miles Davis) 4:44 | |
7. | Love For Sale (Cole Porter) 9:10 | |
8. | Adriano (Philip Catherine) 4:06 | |
9. | Blues In The Closet (Oscar Pettiford) 6:35 | |
10. | Stella By Starlight (Victor Young / Ned Washington) 7:21 |
Total Time: 63:53
Recorded
June 6, 1985 [8-10] &
June 25, 1985 [1-7]
in
Monster, The Netherlands
Engineer:
Max Bolleman
Producer:
Gerry Teekens
On November 24, 2023 our partner Elemental Music released an audiophile vinyl version of this historical album. It is a 2-LP special gatefold edition limited to 3000 copies. This expanded edition presents the full seven tunes from the original album plus three songs that only previously appeared on the CD edition of Chet's Choice ("My Foolish Heart", "Blues in the Closet" and "Stella by Starlight"), as well as five amazing never before heard alternate takes, which add nearly forty minutes of unreleased music to Chet Baker's superb catalogue.
The following five alternate tracks are only available on the special 2-LP vinyl edition: