One of the most infamously acrimonious musical unions transpired between two of the leading purveyors of West Coast cool jazz:
Chet Baker (trumpet) and Stan Getz (tenor sax). Their paths crossed only a handful of times and
West Coast Live captures two of their earliest encounters in Los Angeles at the Haig on June 12, 1953, and the Tiffany Club on August 17, 1953. These recordings have been issued in Europe and Japan ad infinitum in varying degrees of quality, completeness, and often sporting erroneous data. However, enthusiasts should note that
West Coast Live is the only release derived from producer/engineer
Dick Bock's own master reels. For two men who purportedly would rather not be in the same room at the same time,
Baker and Getz are able to create some legitimately brilliant improvisation. For the Haig set, Getz had been brought in to co-lead a quartet with
Baker for an incarcerated
Gerry Mulligan. Musically the results vacillate. There are moments of sheer inspiration, such as the musical cat and mouse demonstrated on "Strike up the Band" or the straight-ahead driving-bop lines the two bandy on "Yardbird Suite," which includes tasty solos from
Carson Smith (bass) and
Larry Bunker (drums). There are likewise the brass entanglements that plague "The Way You Look Tonight" as well as the opening of "Winter Wonderland," which suffers from the "too many cooks" syndrome. The second and shorter set is taken from a recording session held during the afternoon -- hence the lack of an audience response after each number -- at the Tiffany Club.
Baker's quartet at the time featured Russ Freeman (piano) and
Shelly Manne (drums), as well as
Carson Smith (bass), who reprised his role at the heart of this quintet. All three tracks contain very little in the way of interaction between
Baker and Getz, featuring more of the support trio than the two co-leads. ~ Lindsay Planer