Chet Baker was an outstanding trumpet player, but it was his voice that immortalized him. His speaking voice was able to convince lovers, partners of lovers, concert promoters, fellow musicians and people he had borrowed money from of the plaintive platitudes that accompany the life of the hopeless dope fiend. His singing voice was a unique thing of exquisite beauty, apparent simplicity and, crucially, vulnerability. His love songs are timeless, and retained their punch long after Baker’s trumpet playing lost its shape, due to a drug dealer ruining Baker’s embouchure with some vicious dental work. At one of his final recordings in 1988, his “I Fall In Love Too Easily” is poignant, emotive and, almost, optimistic. You could, almost, believe that all would be all right. Those times are captured so well in the elegiac, poetic film Let’s Get Lost.
Blue Note is about to release a new tribute album to Baker’s songs, titled re:imagined, and Matilda Mann has contributed her version of “There Will Never Be Another You” to the compilation.
One of Baker’s strengths was the ability to deliver his songs so intimately. Whether delivering to a small nightclub in the last set of the evening, or to a concert hall, you felt he was addressing you personally, causing you to swoon, as it would have been if it was a one-to-one interaction. It is hard to replicate, and Mann does not try. You feel, much more, that she is addressing her audience. It is intimacy, but differently. She appears to be thanking the audience for the filip of a successful, positive, interactive experience. She does not veer towards strident torch song, and wishes that all sets could be as positive. There is wistfulness that other sets might not be as good. Unfortunately, not all love affairs and concerts are good, and the song captures that beautifully.
