Chet Baker & Strings

Chet Baker & Strings is an album by jazz trumpeter Chet Baker recorded in late 1953 and early 1954 and released on the Columbia label.

Reception
Lindsay Planer of Allmusic stated: "This release offers a unique glimpse of a young Chet Baker in a quintet setting, complemented by a nine-piece string section... The easygoing and otherwise winding strings support the cool bop like a kite in a March breeze — light, airy, and conspicuous only in altitude".

Track listing

 * 1) "You Don't Know What Love Is" (Don Raye, Gene de Paul) - 3:30
 * 2) "I'm Thru With Love" (Fud Livingston, Gus Kahn, Matty Malneck) - 2:39
 * 3) "Love Walked In" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 2:59
 * 4) "You Better Go Now" (Irvin Graham, Bickley Reichner) - 3:06
 * 5) "I Married An Angel" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) - 3:37
 * 6) "Love" (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane) - 2:34
 * 7) "I Love You" (Cole Porter) - 2:48
 * 8) "What a Diff'rence a Day Made" (María Grever, Stanley Adams) - 2:40
 * 9) "Why Shouldn't I?" (Cole Porter) - 3:35
 * 10) "A Little Duet for Zoot and Chet" (Jack Montrose) - 2:37
 * 11) "The Wind" (Russ Freeman) - 4:02
 * 12) "Trickleydidlier" (Shorty Rogers) - 2:40
 * 13) "You Don't Know What Love Is" [Alternate Take] (Raye, de Paul) - 3:30 Bonus track on CD reissue
 * 14) "You Better Go Now" [Alternate Take] (Reichner, Graham) - 3:09 Bonus track on CD reissue
 * 15) "A Little Duet for Zoot and Chet" [Alternate Take] (Montrose) - 2:39 Bonus track on CD reissue
 * Recorded in Los Angeles, California on December 30, 1953 (tracks 3, 5, 10, 14 & 15), December 31, 1953 (tracks 1, 2, 9, 12 & 13) and February 20, 1954 (tracks 4, 6-8 & 11).

Personnel

 * Chet Baker - trumpet
 * Bud Shank - alto saxophone, flute (tracks 4, 6-8 & 11)
 * Zoot Sims - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-3, 5, 9, 10 & 12-15)
 * Russ Freeman - piano
 * Joe Mondragon - bass
 * Shelly Manne - drums
 * Sam Cytron, Jack Gasselin, George Kast, Eudice Shapiro, Paul Shure, Felix Slatkin - violin
 * Lou Kievman, Paul Robyn - viola
 * Victor Gottlieb cello
 * Jack Montrose (tracks 4, 10, 14 & 15), Johnny Mandel (tracks 1, 6, 7, 11 & 13), Marty Paich (tracks 3 & 5), Shorty Rogers (tracks 2, 8, 9 & 12) - arrangers