Chet Baker's legacy is safely secured in American jazz history. But some of us lose sight of his tender vocalizing and only think of his lyrical, very personal trumpet sound. So along comes singer June Bisantz to celebrate the vocal side of the troubled trumpet star. I missed out on volume one of this tribute, but this CD shows Bisantz as a comfortable and relaxed singer very much in the Baker realm. Her two accompanists, Alex Nakhimovsky on piano and Norman Johnson on guitar, are appropriately sensitive in the backing of the singer. Chet "owned" most of the standards on the album, but there are a couple of obscure beauties which deserve comment. "Forgetful" is a typical C B sorrowful ballad, and "Everything Depends On You" is a nearly forgotten gem with a catchy melody line and a hopeful lyric. June Bisantz keeps it close to the vest with no extraneous theatrics, and that's just as it should be when it comes to the great Chet Baker. Self-produced; probably 2016; appx. 41 min.
No comments:
Post a Comment