An odd line-up

I was just listening to the album 'Chet', which I downloaded free from the site previously mentioned (see past posts). Apart from the eponymous hero, this features Pepper Adams, the other great baritone player, and Herbie Mann on flute, with an all-star rhythm section comprising Bill Evans, Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers and Connie Kay. James Gavin seems to like it and called it 'Baker's ultimate "make-out" album', adding 'the whole band fell under his spell'. I disagree: Chet sounds great -very cool- but Pepper Adams is his usual terrific, exciting, blustering self; rather separate from the trumpeter, and lacking the empathy and interplay that characterized the Mulligan/Baker sessions. Herbie Mann seems surplus to requirements, tootling away ineffectually in the low register. A disappointing album in my opinion, despite the stellar line-up. A successful one though, with a glamour cover, featuring a soft-focus Chet in a wooly jumper being hugged from behind by a glamorous girl. Must have been sweltering under those studio lights!

Dental stuff

Most Chet fans know that he played on dentures for the latter part of his career, after having most of his teeth knocked out in a drug-related incident, which we don't need to go into, since there are several different versions of this story around and we'll never know which one is entirely accurate. However, it's less well-known that he had played for many years missing an upper incisor, which didn't seem to hamper his playing, and maybe contributed to his unique sound.

He was not the first trumpet player to overcome the problem of playing on dentures, and I've been compiling a list of other famous names who were in a similar position. So far, I have: Roy Eldridge, Bobby Hackett and Kenny Baker, but I'm sure there are many more ...

Free Chet

My friend Zoot has pointed out that there are quite a few of Chet's early tracks available for free download on http://www.jazz-on-line.com/lastacquired.htm

Some of these are quite rare, at least I've never heard them before, eg, alternate takes, tracks from old 10-inch LPs, etc. Some excellent stuff, with CB in boppish mood.

More Mulligan

Speaking of Mulligan, he and Chet had several things in common: a similar musical approach, massive egos and drugs. In view of the last two factors, it's a miracle that they ever got together long enough to produce anything at all. Although apparently on stage they were super cool, because they were both stoned, so maybe their habits helped them to stay together, even for a relatively short time.

Mulligan Ten-tette

I was listening today to the Gerry Mulligan Ten-tette, with the slightly weird line-up of 2 trumpets, 2 baritones, alto, trombone, french horn, tuba, bass and drums. That's ten isn't it? Yes. Good arrangements, bit of quirky Mulligan piano, but the thing that sticks out for me is Chet's playing, which is very authoritative and confident. The other trumpet player is Pete Candoli, who was well-known as an immaculate lead player for Woody Herman and many studio bands. Quite a different approach from Chet's, though the two seem to fit together very well in this context.

Could Chet read music?

Although some people, including Jack Sheldon, claimed that Chet was entirely an instinctive player, I am inclined to believe Russ Freeman, Chet's pianist in the 50s, that the trumpeter could read quite well (he did play in an army band after all), although his sight-reading was perhaps not up to Hollywood studio standard. Freeman goes on to say that Chet had little or no formal knowledge of harmony, which makes his improvisational skills, with their sophisticated harmonic explorations, all the more remarkable.