Chasing Chet

Music from Baker's Trumpet

The music of Chet Baker has always fascinated audiences. At the heart of his playing there was a fragile lyricism that was somehow sophisticated, yet raw and untrained. His performances often teetered on a knife edge and coupled with his unpredictable personal life it is easy to understand this fascination. Now Canberra audiences have the chance to experience a taste of this music as three of the cities’ finest musicians combine to examine the music of his later career. In the format of a drum-less trio, a combination often used by Baker, guitarist Lachlan Coventry, double bassist James Luke and trumpeter Ben Marston re-imagine some of the great standards of the twentieth century. With references to Doug Raney, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and obviously Baker himself, the trio provide a clear vision of lyrical melodies, rich harmonic colourings and occasional virtuosic punctuation. Timeless music treated in a respectful yet contemporary way.