Recorded in Paris in 1955, this
Barclay reissue features trumpeter
Chet Baker in quartet with Boston-area piano prodigy
Dick Twardzik, bassist
Jimmy Bond, and drummer
Peter Littman. In the United States, these tracks (all composed by
Bob Zieff) were paired with several other jazz standards (not included here) on
Baker's 1955 album,
Chet Baker in Europe. This release, however, features the original track list (and album cover art) focusing solely on the
Zieff compositions. A classically trained composer with a bent toward an angular, third-stream style,
Zieff had been one of
Twardzik's teachers, and it was
Twardzik who introduced
Baker to
Zieff's compositions. A supremely gifted musician,
Twardzik had made his professional debut at the age of 14, and was only 24 years old when he joined
Baker on tour. Also classically trained,
Twardzik had a sophisticated approach to jazz that combined the technical skill of
Bud Powell and
Thelonious Monk, with an ear toward the complex harmonies of modernist composers like
Bela Bartok and
Igor Stravinsky. Although generally regarded at the time as a lyrical, emotionally direct musician who purportedly couldn't read music and instead played by "ear,"
Baker immediately connected with
Zieff's music. It's fascinating to hear him bring the same raw emotion and romantic yearning that he brought to a standard like "My Funny Valentine, " to
Zieff's spare, often arch compositions. Cuts like "Sad Walk," "Just Duo," and "Brash," are sweetly lyrical and swinging, yet shaded with harmonies that are noir-ish in tone. Elsewhere, "Piece Caprice," has a lilting, waltz-like quality that brings to mind the similarly inclined work of the
Dave Brubeck Quartet with saxophonist
Paul Desmond. Sadly,
Twardzik died of a heroin overdose just over a week after this recording session; a tragedy that cut short a promising career and marked the beginning of
Baker's own decline into addiction. Due to licensing restrictions, the album fell out of print in the U.S. and
Zieff never fully achieved wider recognition. Nonetheless, these are some of the most distinctive and unusual of
Baker's early career recordings. ~ Matt Collar
