Chet Baker, Chet Baker Sings & Plays, 1967 on Joker

Recorded in 1959 in Milan, this was first issued in Italy as Angel Eyes on Celson, and in the US as Chet Baker With Fifty Italian Strings on Jazzland, both in 1960. It was the reissued as Chet Baker Sings and Plays by Joker Hi-Fi Records (Italy) in 1967. It’s also been called Chet Baker with Len Mercer & His Orchestra.

My copy is a 2022 Record Store Day Black Friday reissue on red vinyl by SAAR Records, which replicates the Joker labels from 1967.

Of course there’d already been Chet Baker Sings and another album called Chet Baker Sings and Plays (both on Pacific) – not sure if the reissue here wanted to evoke that earlier album. More likely they were just downplaying the strings – fifty Italian strings sounds like too many, and probably is.

#1960s #1967 #2022 #Celson #ChetBaker #jazz #LenMercer #PacificJazzRecords #RecordStoreDay #RecordStoreDay2022 #SAAR #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds

Gerry Mulligan, California Concerts, 1955 on Pacific Jazz

Collection of live recordings featuring the Gerry Mulligan Quartet on the A-Side and the Gerry Mulligan Sextet on the B-Side. The quartet here is with Jon Eardley, Red Mitchell, and Chico Hamilton; the sextet with Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, and Larry Bunker with Eardly and Mitchell.

The A-side was recorded at Stockton High School in November 1954, the B-Side at Hoover High School in San Diego.

My copy is an original mono pressing on Pacific Jazz from 1955, via Crossroads Records in Portland OR. The sleeve is pretty worn, but the vinyl sounds great.

#1950s #1955 #BobBrookmeyer #ChicoHamilton #CrossroadsRecords #GerryMulligan #GerryMulliganQuartet #GerryMulliganSextet #jazz #JonEardley #LarryBunker #PacificJazzRecords #PortlandOR #RedMitchell #sanDiego #Stockton #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds #ZootSims

Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan Quartet, 1955 on Pacific Jazz

This was a compilation of tracks previously issued on three different 10″ records issued by Pacific Jazz in 1952 and 1953: PJ LP-1, PJ LP-2, and PJ LP-5.

Besides Mulligan and Baker, the musicians include Larry Bunker or Chico Hamilton (drums) and Carson Smith or Bob Whitlock (bass).

The cover painting is by Keith Finch, part of a series in which Pacific Jazz worked with West Coast artists. The back cover notes “Reproductions of the cover painting suitable for framing are available to you at 50c per copy postpaid.” Wonder if they’d honor that nearly 70 years later.

My copy looks to be a 1957 pressing (see “REmastered REissue” on the labels) from RCA’s Hollywood plant. The cover has seen better days, but the vinyl is in great shape.

Via Crossroads Records in Portland OR.

#1950s #1955 #BobWhitlock #CarsonSmith #ChetBaker #ChicoHamilton #CrossroadsRecords #GerryMulligan #GerryMulliganQuartet #jazz #KeithFinch #LarryBunker #PacificJazzRecords #PortlandOR #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds #WestCoast

Chet Baker, Big Band, 1957 on Pacific Jazz

A ton of great musicians here, including Chet Baker but also: Norman Faye, Conte Candoli, Frank Rosolino, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bill Perkins, Phil Urso, Bobby Timmons, James Bond, Lawrence Marable, Bob Burgess, Bob Graf, Fred Waters, Bill Hood, Bobby Timmons, Peter Littman, Jame McKean. Produced by Richard Bock, the “chieff panjandrum” of Pacific Jazz Enterprises. Three of the tracks […]

#1950s #1957 #1985 #ArtPepper #BobbyTimmons #ChetBaker #JamesBond #PacificJazzRecords #PhilUrso #RichardBock #vinyl #vinylcollection #vinylfinds #WorcesterMA #WorcesterRecordRiot

https://wp.me/p4tTZ-6we