Baker's Dozen (Remembering Chet Baker)

Tributee: Chet Baker.
Personnel: John Proulx (vocals, piano); Dominick Farinacci (trumpet, flugelhorn); Joe La Barbera (drums).
Audio Mixer: Paul Tavenner.
Liner Note Author: John Proulx.
Recording information: Big City Studios, Granada Hills, CA (11/13/2008/12/10/2008).
Photographers: Michael Bodie; William Claxton; Jimmy Ryan .
Arrangers: John Proulx; Tamir Hendelman.
John Proulx is a new jazz singer and pianist with a light touch (and very good taste), as evidenced by his 2006 debut on MaxJazz, MOON AND SAND, which featured the sultry Alec Wilder bossa-inflected title track as well as nods to both Bill Evans ("Alice In Wonderland") and Dinah Washington ("What A Difference A Day Made"). As the subtitle to BAKER's DOZEN indicates, Proulx's followup is a more-or-less straight tribute to Chet Baker, the eerily romantic vocalist even more than the cool jazz trumpter. The warmed-toned Dominick Farinacci ably takes care of the trumpet and flugelhorn duties anyway, so this is very much a singer's album, a singer with a strong, lush style on piano it should be mentioned. As a singer, Proulx has a youthful spare sound, much like Baker himself, although he has greater range and staying power. (As effective as he was, Baker's semi-amateur vocals always made it on novelty value too). It's a pleasure to hear these note-perfect versions of "Let's Get Lost," "Look For The Silver Lining," "My Funny Valentine," and other Chet Baker signature tunes. For lovers of song-oriented jazz musicianship in a contemporary context, one could hardly improve on John Proulx.