Sue Richardson, the English trumpet player and singer, headlined for one week at London’s Crazy Coqs cabaret club, as part of this year’s EFG London Jazz Festival. Her show was entitled Too Cool – The Life and Music of Chet Baker, and was based on her highly acclaimed album of the same name which came out in 2013. Whilst the CD also featured Karen Sharp on baritone saxophone, the band performed here as a trio, with Neal Richardson on piano and George Trebar on bass. 

The CD distinguished itself from other Chet Baker tributes by shedding some light of some of the lesser-known aspects of his long career, including some of the tunes he wrote in prison in Italy in 1961, such as Chetty’s Lullaby, which were later arranged by pianist Amedeo Tommasi, and recorded with the great Sergio Leone. It also featured some of Chet’s rare compositions, such as Anticipated Blues.

The live show is more ambitious still, with Sue Richardson telling the tale of Chet’s turbulent life in broadly chronological order, illustrating the story with tunes from each era. We learn how Chet was originally influenced by Harry James, before a childhood accident result in the loss of one his front teeth, which changed both his playing technique and his tone. His early recordings with the Mulligan Quartet are illustrated by a lovely rendition of Bernie’s Tune, whilst the early influence of Miles Davis on Chet’s sound was illustrated by Four, a tune that stayed in Chet’s repertoire for many years.

Chet’s Italian recordings are also a feature of the live show, with the vocals on the delicate Chetty’s Lullaby and All My Tomorrows (Il Mio Domani) capturing the soft, breathy tone of Chet’s singing voice to good effect

The second half of the show focused more on Chet’s best-known recordings, including a gorgeous rendition of Let’s Get Lost, which was originally recorded on Chet Baker Sings And Plays in 1955, Gershwin’s But Not For Me, and inevitably his best-known tune, My Funny Valentine.

Sue Richardson’s playing comes across as more assertive in a live setting, yet she is still able to capture the fragile delicacy of Chet’s tone. Her stories and anecdotes were also well judged, bringing some warmth and humour to what might otherwise be a tragic tale. The band was also superb, helped by the excellent acoustics in Crazy Coqs. The club is hoping to host more jazz events in the future, and given the strong turnout for this event, hopefully they will feel suitably encouraged. 

Sue Richardson continues to tour Too Cool going into 2015, and will be returning to Ronnie Scott’s in London in the near future. Her CD is available on Splash Point records, and is highly recommended.