CHET BAKER - At Capolinea (2023 Remastered Reissue) - LP - Deluxe 180g Vinyl [JUN 23]

LP - 180g Black vinyl. Limited and Hand Numbered Edition in Deluxe Gatefold Sleeve with LP size booklet. Remastered from the Original Analogue Tapes. 

The album title may suggest otherwise, but this is a studio album, not a live date. "Capolinea" is a recording studio in Milan, Italy, where this album was recorded in October 1983. The band features Michel Graillier on piano, Riccardo del Fra on bass and Nicola Stilo on flute, all of them musicians who recorded frequently with Baker. The drummer is Leo Mitchell, and as an added extra, Baker's girlfriend Diane Vavra appears briefly in one of her rare, recorded performances on soprano saxophone.

The mood on this album is gently relaxed, but not really slow. It is one of my mellower jazz records, strictly to be played after 10pm only. The tempo is a soft mid-tempo throughout, and the overall sound is significantly determined by Stilo's flute and Graillier's lush piano solos. Baker himself seems a bit held back, or at least it appears that way, since he never takes the first solo spot and his solos seem shorter than Stilo's, but his performances are flawless and wonderfully lyrical.

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Estate [11:50]
2. Francamente [5:13]
3. Dream Drop [4:22]

Side B
1. Lament [9:34]
2. Pioggia Sul Deserto [5:24]
3. Finestra Sul Mare [6:50]

Chet Baker: trumpet
Nicola Stilo: flute
Diane Vavra: soprano saxophone
Michel Graillier: piano
Riccardo del Fra: bass
Leo Mitchell: drums