May 7 saw the release of Deep In a Dream, a new collection of Chet Baker tracks on Blue Note. Combining classic performances from sides Baker recorded for Pacific Jazz, Columbia, Fantasy, Colpix and Riverside, the disc is a wonderful introduction to Baker’s music. And obsessive collectors will surely pick it up for the previously unreleased, solo vocal tracks (“Blue Room” and “Spring Is Here”).
Not coincidentally, Alfred A. Knopf Publishing will release a new Baker biography tomorrow bearing the same title as the new CD. Written by Grammy-nominated jazz chronicler James Gavin and subtitled The Long Night of Chet Baker, the book reveals details about the life of the mysterious, West Coast trumpeter Gavin culled from hundreds of interviews and previously untapped resources.
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