Chet Baker - Live in Bologna 1985 [2LP]

A trumpet, a guitar, a bass and an Italian stage: Live in Bologna 1985 catches Chet Baker at his most intimate, stretched across two LPs.

By the mid-1980s Baker was living and working mostly in Europe, favouring small, flexible groups that suited his soft-spoken style. In Bologna he is joined by Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, a drummerless trio that leaves acres of space and fills it with conversation rather than volume. First issued in 1992, the recording captures the late Baker sound in full bloom.

There are just six tunes, and each one is given room to wander. 'Conception' and 'Tune Up' let the three trade lines with light, bebop-bred agility, while 'My Funny Valentine' and 'My Foolish Heart' bring out that famously fragile voice, sung close and almost conversational. Catherine does double duty, comping chords one moment and spinning silvery counter-melodies the next, and Rassinfosse keeps the pulse supple without ever crowding the trumpet.

Baker's tone here is weathered but beautifully controlled, every phrase placed with care. It's late-night listening of the most rewarding kind, the work of an artist who could still make a familiar standard feel newly confided. Spread across four sides, the long performances finally get the space they deserve.