This is the first time this material has become available and it was recorded at a particularly difficult time for Chet Baker. He had been the victim of a savage beating in San Francisco in 1966 and for the next few years he was forced to live on welfare while working in a gas station. With new dentures he slowly rebuilt his embouchure and this date with his good friend Jack Sheldon was one of his first studio recordings after his attack.
He was hesitant at first but Sheldon was very encouraging: “Just think Chettie, if we do an album together you’ll only have to play on half of it.”
His playing is understandably very tentative but he does well on Jobim’s Once I Loved. The melody is constructed within an octave allowing him to find a little magic in his lower register. This is the only time he recorded it which is a pity because it is an ideal vehicle for him. The less said about But Not For Me and When I Fall In Love the better as vocalising was never his strongest suit.
The extrovert Jack Sheldon is as always a delight. He had a formidable technique, an abundance of stimulating ideas and an ebullient sound that was all his own. Just Friends, I’m Old Fashioned and You Fascinate Me So here are all fine examples of his craft.
As a singer, Sheldon had an utterly relaxed, laid-back approach that sometimes recalls Jack Teagarden. His soulful Historia De Un Amor is probably an album highlight. He performs it in Spanish with what sounds like a very authentic accent. He recorded it on three other occasions over the years and the best of the crop can be heard on his Live At Don Mupo’s Gold Nugget with Jack Marshall which also features plenty of his hilarious comedy routines (VSOP 101CD).
Discography
This Can’t Be Love; Just Friends; Too Blue; But Not For Me; Historia De Un Amor; Once I Loved; You Fascinate Me So; When I Fall In Love; I Cried For You; I’m Old Fashioned (36.14)
Baker, Sheldon (t, v); Jack Marshall (elg); Dave Frishberg (p); Joe Mondragon (b); Nick Ceroli (d). Tustin, California 1972.
Jazz Detective DDJD-016
