Taken from Chet Is Back!, recorded in Italy in 1962, Somewhere Over the Rainbow features Baker at his finest, and is an excellent introduction to the musician's non-vocal work.
As is the case with most Baker albums, Somewhere Over the Rainbow feels like a quickly put-together session recording.
The material is all standard jazz repertoire, played in a no-frills format, without specific arrangements or endings.
It is the musicianship here that is the main attraction.
Baker has rarely sounded better; his technique is in top shape, and his solos are textbook examples of lyrical bop playing.
Baker, as was not always the case throughout his career, surrounds himself on Somewhere Over the Rainbow with strong and supportive sidemen.
Guitarist Rene Thomas, underrecorded throughout his career, becomes one of the highlights of the session, and makes the album a must-have for bop guitar enthusiasts.
Tune selection is surprisingly upbeat for a Baker recording.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Well, You Needn'tThelonious Monk | Chet Baker | Play | 06:25 | 14 MB | 38 MB |
| 2 | These Foolish ThingsHarry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey | Chet Baker | Play | 04:59 | 11 MB | 23 MB |
| 3 | Star EyesGene DePaul, Don Raye | Chet Baker | Play | 07:01 | 16 MB | 35 MB |
| 4 | Pent-Up HouseSonny Rollins | Chet Baker | Play | 06:55 | 15 MB | 40 MB |
| 5 | Blues in the ClosetOscar Pettiford | Chet Baker | Play | 07:46 | 17 MB | 45 MB |
| 6 | Somewhere Over the Rainbow | Chet Baker | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 16 MB |
| 36 mins | 83 MB | |||||
| 36 mins | 200 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 2 | Steve Backer | Executive Producer |
| 3 | Chet Baker | Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 4 | Gene DePaul | Composer |
| 5 | Ira Gitler | Liner Notes |
| 6 | E.Y. "Yip" Harburg | Composer |
| 7 | Daniel Humair | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 8 | Bobby Jaspar | Flute, Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor) |
| 9 | Harry Link | Composer |
| 10 | Joe Lopes | Digital Mastering, Engineer |
| 11 | Holt Marvell | Composer |
| 12 | Thelonious Monk | Composer |
| 13 | Jacqueline Murphy | Art Direction, Design |
| 14 | Jay Newland | Digital Mastering, Engineer |
| 15 | Michael Ochs | Photography |
| 16 | Oscar Pettiford | Composer |
| 17 | Benoit Quersin | Bass |
| 18 | Don Raye | Composer |
| 19 | Sonny Rollins | Composer |
| 20 | John Snyder | Digital Producer |
| 21 | Jack Strachey | Composer |
| 22 | René Thomas | Guitar |
| 23 | Amedeo Tommasi | Piano |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |