Baker's Holiday

Chet Baker’s sublime sense of cool was never more winsome than on 1965's Baker’s Holiday, a set inspired by Billie Holiday's music. As both trumpeter and singer, Baker conveys the same wistful longing and sultry languor that defined Holiday’s artistry. Such A-list players as drummer Connie Key, bassist Richard Davis, guitarist Everett Barksdale, and pianist Hank Jones bring an understated elegance to these sessions, enhanced by Jimmy Mundy’s well-tailored arrangements. Baker’s flugelhorn work is tender and thoughtful, filled with misty shadings and softly insistent cries. His versions of “You’re My Thrill,” “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)," and “Crazy She Calls Me” are particular highlights. For sheer hipster swing, “Mean to Me” takes top honors. Baker’s vocal performances on “Trav’lin’ Light,“ “Easy Living,” “When Your Lover Has Gone," and “There Is No Greater Love” are some of the best he ever recorded, infused with an easy confidence and aching sincerity. All told, Baker’s Holiday captures the trumpeter at his most consistently engaged, making it one of his signature works.