Slow Down Sounds, in collaboration with renowned photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber, announced this week the release of Chet Baker Performs and Sings Swimming by Moonlight, a 15-track collection of previously unreleased studio and live recordings by the legendary trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker.
Recorded during the making of Weber’s 1988 Oscar-nominated documentary Let’s Get Lost, chronicling Baker’s tumultuous life as one of jazz’s most esteemed trumpeters. Shelved for nearly 40 years, Swimming by Moonlight was curated from Weber’s archives and features a series of intimate studio sessions captured at Sage and Sound Studio in Hollywood and Studio Davout in Paris, alongside an electrifying live performance from Cannes back in 1987.
What makes this release special is the fact that it was recorded on analogue tape and meticulously transferred and edited by bassist and producer John Leftwich—an original collaborator on Let’s Get Lost—Swimming by Moonlight is an audiophile listening experience that respects both the spirit of the sessions and the legacy of Baker’s singular sound.
Officially licensed through Bruce Weber’s production company, Little Bear Inc., these intimate and long-rumored-to-exist recordings offer a rare and unfiltered portrait of Baker in the final chapter of his life. Baker, who passed away tragically from a fall in 1988, is considered one of jazz’s greatest innovators, affectionately known as the “Prince of Cool” for his work developing the cool jazz subgenre.
“Something occurred to me when I listened to the final mixes,” says Bruce Weber. “They sounded so good, and hearing Chet’s voice that way made me feel like I was sitting in a room with him again. With this album, he made an ending to Let’s Get Lost that I never could have imagined!”
Chet Baker Performs and Sings Swimming by Moonlight is available now via Slow Down Sounds.
