Baby Breeze (Expanded Edition)

Chet Baker's trumpet got stolen, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise for this 1965 session; playing flugelhorn lends his lyrical tone even greater warmth. But while Baker's diaphanous lines on the low-key "I Wish You Love" are a model of poignancy, his vocal tunes nearly steal the show, especially his ghostly, gliding presence on the melancholic "Born to Be Blue." But when he lets loose on the burning hard-bopper "This is the Thing," it's clear his gift goes beyond his signature cool-school sounds.