Chet and TROS sesjun

Chet Baker’s contributions to Tros Sesjun have acquired a cult status among his Dutch fans. The trumpeter was notorious for missing gigs or showing up in a bad condition. But when he had to play for this Dutch radio programme, he was always on stage on time. And his playing was usually nothing short of breathtaking.

The wandering trumpeter – he had no fixed address from 1978 onwards – must have liked the informal jazz club ambiance, the attentive audience and the two men who ran the programme: producer Dick de Winter and host Cees Schrama. It’s not a coincidence both were musicians as well; Dick was a drummer for many years and Schrama is still performing as a piano player.

Chet did six concerts for Tros Sesjun and all those times, he was professionally recorded while playing a first set to warm-up and a second that was broadcast live.

But most of this material remained in the broadcast’s archives, while poor recordings were available all over the world, presenting Chet as a washed-up trumpet player.

Only one of the concerts Chet did for Dick and Cees was previously issued: the gig on November 30, 1978, with a US rhythm section. The Criss Cross label released a selection of this night on lp as ‘Live at Nick’s’. Later on, some fine bonus material was added to the cd.

Finally in 2009, it was decided to issue more of the music that had been circulating among fans on old cassette tapes for decades.

This compilation has a selection from five Sesjun-gigs. The first one, a concert in 1976, finds Chet with his regular touring band at that time. Only a few years earlier, he had started a comeback after he had learned to play with dentures.