Chet Baker

Chet Baker Sings: It Could Happen To You

In the winter of 2019, Baker’s Riverside catalogue was celebrated with the deluxe vinyl box set, The Legendary Riverside Albums. Now, these meticulously remastered recordings are available as individual albums. Few musicians have embodied the romantic—and ultimately tragic—jazz figure as totally as Chesney “Chet” Baker (1929–88). Unschooled yet eloquent in his music, and a fast-liver who survived for nearly six decades, the Baker mystique has only reinforced one of the most haunting trumpet styles and ingenious approaches to jazz singing. Chet Baker’s 1958 recording session debut for Riverside Records, which resulted in the album release (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen To You, offers a modern, hipper take on standards like “Old Devil Moon,” “You’re Driving Me Crazy,” and “How Long Has This Been Going On?” Chet Baker Sings is unique in that the nimble artist sets aside his trumpet in several of the tracks, using only his vocals—and even scatting some of the improvised solos in a style that sounds very much like his lyrical trumpet playing. All Music calls the album “An essential title in Chet Baker's 30-plus-year canon.”