Chet Baker & Jack Sheldon: In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album

In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album presents an intriguing collaboration between trumpeters Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon. Derived from a newly unearthed studio session from 1972 and released on the Jazz Detective label, it was co-produced by Zev Feldman and film producer Frank Marshall. Backed by a stellar ensemble featuring Jack Marshall (guitar), Dave Frishberg (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass) and Nick Ceroli (drums), the sextet swings through a repertoire drawn mostly from the Great American Songbook, supplemented by one original from Sheldon and a ballad by a Mexican composer.

While at first glance the combination of these two particular singing trumpet players might seem incompatible, Baker and Sheldon—as described in the thoughtful and informative 15-page booklet that accompanies this CD—were good buddies and it was Sheldon who convinced Baker to participate in this recording. The dynamic between Baker and Sheldon is interesting, with each artist bringing their unique flavor to the table. On all tracks, Sheldon can be heard singing and playing in the left stereo channel and Baker on the right.

The opening track is "This Can't Be Love," with Sheldon running through the lyrics in a shaky vibrato. Baker's vocal is just as brief but more restrained, with Sheldon's trumpet in support. The ever-popular "Just Friends" follows, with Baker taking the vocal at a sprightly tempo as Sheldon covers the trumpet section with a clear tone. Unfortunately, Mondragon's bass is over-recorded on the right channel, almost drowning Baker's vocal. Sheldon's original,"Too Blue," has him delivering the vocal in hipster fashion, while Baker's trumpet rarely strays from the middle register as he confines himself to short punctuation phrases. When Sheldon pipes in, his tone and phrasing mimic Baker's.

At the time of this session, Baker's trumpet playing was a long way from the spare, warm and stylish melodic horn of his earlier years. Not only struggling with an addiction, he had been in an altercation in 1966 that resulted in a bloody mouth and broken teeth, forcing him to be fitted with dentures. Consequently, he had real trouble playing while trying to repair his embouchure and this recording would be his first since that event. Despite this shortcoming, Baker's cool demeanor serves as a nice counterbalance to Sheldon's vivacity as they continue to work out the balance of the set, beginning with an interesting take on Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Once I Loved." As Ceroli lays down the bossa nova beat Baker shows flashes of his younger self, setting the stage for Sheldon to come in with a series of rapid flurries before the track fades.

Chet Baker always loved ballads, as evidenced by his 1956 release Chet Baker Sings (Pacific Jazz), and so his languorous rendition of "When I Fall In Love" is no surprise. The closer is a Jimmy Rushing/Count Basie/Harry "Sweets" Edison brief sassy blues, with Sheldon on a shout-out vocal as Baker's trumpet noodles around the edges.

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