Chet Baker - Chet Baker & Crew [Yellow Spain Import]

Chet Baker & Crew finds the trumpeter back home in Los Angeles in 1956, fronting a hard-swinging sextet, presented here on yellow vinyl as a Spanish import.

Baker had just returned from a long stay in Europe when he led these sessions for Pacific Jazz, and he assembled a band built for drive rather than drowsy romance. Tenor saxophonist Phil Urso trades lines with him in tight, interlocking harmonies, a young Bobby Timmons comps with bluesy authority on piano, and Jimmy Bond anchors the rhythm on bass.

To Mickey's Memory sets the pace, with Bill Loughborough adding an unusual touch of chromatic timpani to the opener. Halema, one of two Urso originals, has a loose, easygoing charm, while Revelation reunites Baker with the writing of his old bandleader Gerry Mulligan. Al Cohn's Something for Liza swings with relaxed West Coast ease, and the whole date has the bright, collaborative spirit of musicians enjoying each other's company.

Baker's tone is as clean and lyrical as ever, but there's a sharper, more extroverted edge here than on the vocal records that made him a pin-up.

For collectors exploring his Pacific Jazz years, it's a sparkling and often overlooked session that deserves a spot right beside the classics.