Every jazz trumpeter has an intimate relationship with Chet Baker, his heritage is simply unavoidable. Paolo Fresu is no exception to the rule. Whatsmore, Fresu is one of the most fascinating successors of the “James Dean Of Jazz”. Each of the Sardinian musician’s recordings include a reference to Bakerian jazz. This time around, the homage is made even more obvious as illustrated by the title of the album: Tempo di Chet. However, Fresu is such a talented musician that he’s able to remain himself throughout the hour of melancholic music. In 1999, he co-authored the magnificent Shades of Chet with his fellow countryman Enrico Rava. Two decades later, he has become an ever more virtuosic, fascinating and nuanced trumpeter, and the way in which he revisits some of his master’s classics here (most notably My Funny Valentine and Everything Happens To Me) is simply sublime. For this exercise of great purity, Paolo Fresu has surrounded himself with pianist Dino Rubino and bass player Marco Bardoscia, two quiet accomplices perfectly in tune with his vision. Brilliant! © Marc Zisman/Qobuz