Song:There Will Never Be Another You
Album:Carnegie Hall Concert
Most jazz fans should be familiar with Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker. Both were legends in their own right. But they were also very successful as a team in the early 50s. This 1974 CD is a reunion concert. Mulligan met Baker in 1952 while he was working for Stan Kenton. Mulligan performed on Monday nights at The Haig on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles and Baker started sitting in on the jam sessions. They formed a quartet with Bob Whitlock on bass and Chico Hamilton on drums. The most notable thing about this band is there was no piano. They recorded a few albums for Pacific Jazz. Mulligan and Baker had tremendous chemistry so the band was very successful. But it came to an end when Mulligan was arrested for drug possession and tossed in jail in 1953. Both guys were heroin addicts. Baker became more of a solo act especially as a singer. Though they reunited occasionally, producer Creed Taylor decided an official reunion at Carnegie Hall in New York would make for a great album. By 1974, Mulligan had kicked his drug habit but Baker had not. So there was some tension between them. The band is a contemporary band with John Scofield on guitar, Dave Samuels on vibes, Bob James on keyboards, Ron Carter on bass and Harvey Mason on drums. Mulligan and Baker do perform together on some songs. But Mulligan doesn't appear on There Will Never Be Another You. Baker doesn't appear on other songs. CTI Records issued two albums. Vol. 1 is available as a budget CD. It's worth checking out. Mulligan and Baker never recorded together after that. Baker never kicked his drug habit and died in 1988. Mulligan died in 1996. Here's a video of Chet Baker performing There Will Never Be Another You from the Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker Carnegie Hall concert 1974.
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