All but two of these 13 tracks date from the late 1950s (the other two were done in 1965), and while Baker's talents were undimmed at this point, this wasn't his best era recording-wise, in terms of either material or bands.
For his best you should turn to the earlier Pacific Jazz discs, but this is still a good set of slow and sentimental Baker for those who have heard the peak stuff in this vein and want yet more.
"Autumn in New York," recorded in Italy with a string orchestra, is one extreme of his sentimental predilections, yet there's also stuff in a far more straight-ahead vein with the likes of Bill Evans and Kenny Burrell among the backup musicians.
"Almost Like Being in Love" is a standout, Baker's trumpet taking on an oddly echoing tone, though with its sharp bebop rhythm it's not really a ballad.
Not many vocals on this set, but it does close out with a couple of good Baker-sung standards, "I'm Old Fashioned" and "My Heart Stood Still.".
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polka Dots and MoonbeamsJohnny Burke, James Van Heusen | Chet Baker | Play | 07:55 | 18 MB | 42 MB |
| 2 | Autumn in New YorkVernon Duke | Chet Baker | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | My Old FlameSam Coslow, Arthur Johnston | Chet Baker | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 19 MB |
| 4 | Alone TogetherHoward Dietz, Arthur Schwartz | Chet Baker | Play | 06:50 | 15 MB | 32 MB |
| 5 | I Should CareSammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston | Chet Baker | Play | 02:46 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 6 | When Lights Are LowBenny Carter, Spencer Williams | Chet Baker | Play | 06:51 | 15 MB | 37 MB |
| 7 | Stairway to the StarsMatty Malneck, Mitchell Parish, Frank Signorelli | Chet Baker | Play | 04:43 | 10 MB | 22 MB |
| 8 | Indian SummerAl Dubin, Victor Herbert | Chet Baker | Play | 05:15 | 12 MB | 21 MB |
| 9 | Almost Like Being in LoveAlan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe | Chet Baker | Play | 04:52 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 10 | I've Grown Accustomed to Her FaceAlan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe | Chet Baker | Play | 04:15 | 9 MB | 21 MB |
| 11 | Lament for the LivingTadd Dameron | Chet Baker | Play | 06:57 | 15 MB | 31 MB |
| 12 | I'm Old FashionedJerome Kern, Johnny Mercer | Chet Baker | Play | 05:05 | 11 MB | 22 MB |
| 13 | My Hart Stood Still | Chet Baker | Play | 03:26 | 7 MB | 17 MB |
| 67 mins | 154 MB | |||||
| 67 mins | 334 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pepper Adams | Guest Artist, Sax (Baritone) |
| 2 | Chet Baker | Flugelhorn, Primary Artist, Trumpet |
| 3 | Roy Brooks | Drums |
| 4 | Johnny Burke | Composer |
| 5 | Kenny Burrell | Guest Artist, Guitar |
| 6 | Sammy Cahn | Composer |
| 7 | Richard Carpenter | Producer |
| 8 | Benny Carter | Composer |
| 9 | Paul Chambers | Bass |
| 10 | George Coleman | Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor) |
| 11 | Robert Corwin | Piano |
| 12 | Sam Coslow | Composer |
| 13 | Tadd Dameron | Composer |
| 14 | Paul De Barros | Liner Notes |
| 15 | Howard Dietz | Composer |
| 16 | Kenny Drew | Guest Artist, Piano |
| 17 | Al Dubin | Composer |
| 18 | Vernon Duke | Composer |
| 19 | Bill Evans | Guest Artist, Piano |
| 20 | Kirk Felton | Remastering |
| 21 | Al Haig | Guest Artist, Piano |
| 22 | Lorenz Hart | Composer |
| 23 | Victor Herbert | Composer |
| 24 | James Van Heusen | Composer |
| 25 | Clifford Jarvis | Drums |
| 26 | Arthur Johnston | Composer |
| 27 | Philly Joe Jones | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 28 | Connie Kay | Drums |
| 29 | Orrin Keepnews | Producer |
| 30 | Jerome Kern | Composer |
| 31 | Alan Jay Lerner | Composer |
| 32 | Kirk Lightsey | Piano |
| 33 | Frederick Loewe | Composer |
| 34 | Matty Malneck | Composer |
| 35 | Herbie Mann | Flute, Guest Artist |
| 36 | Earl May | Bass |
| 37 | Johnny Mercer | Composer |
| 38 | George Morrow | Bass |
| 39 | Mitchell Parish | Composer |
| 40 | Jamie Putnam | Art Direction, Design |
| 41 | Richard Rodgers | Composer |
| 42 | Arthur Schwartz | Composer |
| 43 | Renato Sellani | Piano |
| 44 | Franco Serri | Bass |
| 45 | Frank Signorelli | Composer |
| 46 | Zoot Sims | Guest Artist, Sax (Alto) |
| 47 | Axel Stordahl | Composer |
| 48 | Gene Victory | Drums |
| 49 | Paul Weston | Composer |
| 50 | Spencer Williams | Composer |
| 51 | Herman Wright | Bass |
| 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). |