Baker, Chet - Chet Sings! The American Years (1953-1958)

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This album brings together all of the songs performed by Chet during his American period, from October 1953 to August 1958. 44 tracks which were to revolutionise the history of vocal jazz! Chet Baker is, without a doubt, along with Louis Armstrong, one of the only jazzmen who can be called an innovator both as a musician and as a vocalist.

When he recorded his voice for the first time on the 27th of October, 1953, there were no prior recordings in the field of vocal jazz which bore any resemblance to his dainty phrasing and fragile timbre. His voice made use of the same vibrato technique and the same inflections as when he played his trumpet.The only star who seemed to have had any influence over the young man, then 23 years old, was Frank Sinatra. Half of the tracks he sang from 1953 to 1958 (just before his second trip to Europe) had already been recorded by Sinatra. In the space of five years, Chet Baker was to leave his mark on all the major vocalists who came after him, both in and out of the jazz world.