Chet Baker
Voice Solo on
But Not For Me

About

Chet Baker's three-chorus vocal improvisation opens the solo section on this brisk reading of the Gershwin standard. At 238 BPM in E-flat over the 32-bar ABAB' form, Baker's soft, conversational singing style brings an intimate quality to Gershwin's witty lyric about romantic disappointment. As the first of four solos, his extended vocal statement establishes the performance's emotional character before he returns later on trumpet. Three choruses at this tempo give Baker ample room to explore the melody's contours and Ira Gershwin's clever wordplay, his understated delivery serving the song's ironic sensibility.

Chet Baker was 49 to 50 years old at the time.