This third and final Pacific Jazz volume of the Chet Baker Quartet in concert continues with more music from the August 1954 date at the Tiffany Club in Los Angeles (some of which was heard on Vol. 2 in this CD series). Baker is in great form on trumpet throughout this performance, accompanied by pianist Russ Freeman, bassist Carson Smith, and drummer Bob Neel. The group is well-rehearsed and in top form, beginning with a turbocharged run through Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes." There are some songs previously covered in different versions on the earlier volumes ("Line for Lyons," "My Old Flame," "Carson City Stage," as well as Freeman's "The Wind" and "Russ Job"), but these versions not only measure up to the earlier ones but in several cases improve upon them. Freeman's inventive bop solos are another highlight of this release, especially in up-tempo tracks such as "Zing Went the Strings of My Heart." For novelty, Baker also plays boo-bam (a series of small drums made of timber bamboo) between his trumpet solos on four tracks, though he generally remains in the background on the instrument. For a nightclub recording of this era, the audience is surprisingly quiet and one isn't distracted by clinking glasses, ringing cash registers, and the occasional drunk talking at the top of his lungs. Although all of the selections previously appeared on a Mosaic box set, that long out of print collector's item would command a hefty price tag, so this individual CD, along with the Pacific Jazz CDs which preceded it, is a highly recommended and much more affordable alternative.
© Ken Dryden /TiVo