Chet Baker - Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Sessions in Holland

PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED CHET BAKER RECORDINGS!!!

2-LP SET MASTERED FOR VINYL BY BERNIE GRUNDMAN

Blue Room: The 1979 VARA Studio Sessions in Holland features two recordings of trumpet/vocal icon Chet Baker captured in glorious stereo at the legendary VARA studio 2 in Hilversum, the Netherlands for the KRO radio program Nine O’Clock Jazz. The April 10, 1979 session features pianist Phil Markowitz, bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, and drummer Charles Rice; and the November 9th session features pianist Frans Elsen, bassist Victor Kaihatu, and drummer Eric Ineke. Both sessions were originally produced by Edwin Rutten, and are produced for release officially for the first time by “jazz detective” Zev Feldman and Frank Jochemsen. The limited-edition 2-LP set (and deluxe 2-CD edition) includes an elaborate booklet with photos by Veryl Oakland, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Christian Rose and others; liner notes by Dutch journalist Jeroen de Valk, plus essays by Feldman, Jochemsen, and Rutten; and interviews with Baker bandmates Phil Markowtiz, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and Eric Ineke, as well as trumpeters Randy Brecker and Enrico Rava, and pianist Enrico Pieranunzi. Transferred from the original KRO radio tape reels and mastered for vinyl by legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.

Tracklist 

SIDE A

1. BEAUTIFUL BLACK EYES
2. OH, YOU CRAZY MOON 
3. THE BEST THING FOR YOU

SIDE B

1. BLUE ROOM
2. DOWN

SIDE C

1. BLUE GILLES
2. NARDIS

SIDE D

1. CANDY 
2. LUSCIOUS LOU
3. MY IDEAL
4. OLD DEVIL MOON

Personnel

Sides A/B/C
CHET BAKER trumpet, vocals
PHIL MARKOWITZ piano
JEAN-LOUIS RASSINFOSSE bass
CHARLES RICE drums 
VARA Studio 2, Hilversum, the Netherlands, April 10, 1979. 

Side D
CHET BAKER trumpet, vocals
FRANS ELSEN piano 
VICTOR KAIHATU bass
ERIC INEKE drums 
VARA Studio 2, Hilversum,  the Netherlands, November 9, 1979.

Credits 

Produced for release by ZEV FELDMAN and FRANK JOCHEMSEN
Executive Producers: JORDI SOLEY and 
CARLOS AGUSTÍN CALEMBERT
Associate Producer: ZAK SHELBY-SZYSZKO
Original recordings produced by 
EDWIN RUTTEN and LEX LAMMEN 
for KRO-NCRV
Original recording engineer: JIM RIP
Assistant engineer, November 9, 1979: 
MR. STELLINGWERF
Tape research: FRANK JOCHEMSEN
Original recordings licensed from KRO-NCRV
Mastering: MARC BROER, assisted by 
FRANK JOCHEMSEN at Live Concert
Recording, Landsmeer, The Netherlands
LP mastering by BERNIE GRUNDMAN at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California
Front and back cover photos by VERYL OAKLAND
Art direction: BURTON YOUNT
Album Graphics: GORDON H. JEE
Album Package Editor: JOHN KOENIG
Legal Counsel: JOEL WEINSTEIN
Photo research: ZEV FELDMAN, ZAK SHELBY-SZYSZKO and FRANK JOCHEMSEN
Project Assistance: MARTÍN ARIAS GOLDESTEIN

Special thanks to BAS AGTERBERG, HANS VAN DEN BERG and LILLIAN SMIT
(Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid),
PIETER BOERSMA, JAN BROUWER(Nederlands Jazz Archief), MARTIN CLEAVER, LEX LAMMEN, EDWIN RUTTEN, FRANK WEIJERS (KRO-NCRV), BERTRAM DINGSHOFF, JEROEN DE VALK, VERYL and ALEXIS OAKLAND, HANS HARZHEIM, CHRISTIAN ROSE, PAUL FRATI (Fastimage), CYNTHIA SESSO
(CTSIMAGES), MARION LELOIR, ERIC FACON, TOM COPI, RANDY BRECKER, ENRICO RAVA, GUIDO GAITO, ENRICO PIERANUNZI, SYDNEY B. LANEX, Record Store Day (MICHAEL KURTZ and CARRIE COLLITON)

Extra special thanks to the Chet Baker Estate, PHIL MARKOWITZ, JEAN-LOUIS RASSINFOSSE and ERIC INEKE
Dedicated to the memories of CHET BAKER, FRANS ELSEN, VICTOR KAIHATU and CHARLES RICE

Released in collaboration with Jazz Detective/ Deep Digs Music Group