Poor Boy Blue

Album Review

It only takes a few seconds of listening to this CD to realize that Larry Baskett's main influence and idol is Chet Baker. A veteran trumpeter who was playing in the San Francisco area as early as the 1950s but then spent 1962-84 outside of music altogether, Baskett has successfully buried whatever original musical personality he has and instead has chosen to often sound very close to Baker, both musically and vocally. the emphasis is on cool and soft tones throughout the date. Frank Phillps on euphonium sometimes acts as a second voice (a la Gerry Mulligan) and other times as a surrogate trombonist. Randy Vincent (best known for his work with Bebop and Beyond) gets in some fine guitar solos, while bassist Chris Amberger and drummer Harold Jones are utilized solely in tasteful support. However, the main emphasis is on Baskett, who sings on almost half of the pieces in an obviously untrained voice and takes many effective, if obviously derivative trumpet and flugelhorn solos.