Chet Baker Quartet - Chet Baker Quartet, Vol. 2: Chet Baker in Paris, Vol. 2 [180G/ French Import]

The session was recorded at Studio Pathe-Magellan in Paris, Monday, October 24, 1955. By that date only Jimmy Bond was still with Chet. Peter Littman had returned to America, and his seat was now occupied by Nils-Bertil "Bert" Dahlander, a Swedish drummer who'd accompanied Lars Gullin. At the keyboard was an almost-unknown pianist named Gerard Gustin who'd just been signed to a contract by Eddie Barclay.

Given the context, they were obliged to fall back on standards. Chet knew how to play these better than anyone. He chose eight: "These Foolish Things", which stayed in his quartet's repertoire for a while; plus five others that the trumpeter performs here for the first time — "There's a Small Hotel", "Autumn In New York", "Summertime", "You Go To My Head", "Tenderly"; and two — "I'll Remember April" and "Lover Man" — that he'd done less than ten days earlier together with Lars Gullin and Dick Twardzik, whose disappearance was still something Chet refused to accept. Given this state of affairs, the whole session exudes a kind of sadness that's impossible to put down, whatever the choice of tune or tempo.

PERSONNEL:

Chet Baker - (trumpet)
Jimmy Bond - (bass)
Bert Dahlander - (drums)
Gérard Gustin - (piano)

Recording: between October 25, 1955 and March 15, 1956 at Pathé Magellan Studio, Paris

TRACKS:

A1. Summertime
A2. You Go To My Head
A3. Tenderly
A4. Lover Man

B1. Small Hotel
B2. I’ll Remember April
B3. These Foolish Things
B4. Autumn In New York