The meeting of Ennio and Chet in 1962 was a sublime encounter and couldn’t have come at a better time for both artists. For years, many Chet Baker fans weren’t even aware these four Italian sides existed, as the four RCA songs weren’t released outside of Italy until the early 2000s. For another, when most listeners reach for the singing Baker, they usually turn to his work with pianist Russ Freeman, although these four Italian tracks are easily in the same league. In August, 1960, Chet Baker was arrested in Lucca, Italy. He was convicted of drug smuggling and forgery and sentenced to a year, seven months, and ten days in a Lucca prison. When he was released early, in December, 1961, RCA Italiana organized collaborative sessions with composer, arranger, and conductor Ennio Morricone.

I just stumbled across this and it sounds great. Worth a look for any Chet fan.

  • @lookluc
    link
    English
    19 months ago

    Beautiful! Thank you for sharing