Chetrio

Chetrio celebrates the legacy of the great Chet Baker - the songs he sang so bitter-sweetly and his ever melodic interpretations of the jazz standard repertoire. Chet had a huge influence on Yates, both his sound on the horn and his ear-led approach to improvisation.

Yates' singing too reflects Baker's lyrical and plaintive style without being a pure imitation. Chetrio seeks to crystallise something of Chet's influence in a respectful homage. 

In his later years Chet chose to work without drums, preferring the more intimate trio setting. Once, when he was recommended a drummer by a friend, he famously said, "He'd have to be a truly amazing drummer to be better than no drummer at all!"

Songs that Chet made his own, tunes he brought to life again and again, and a few "what if" conjectures, wondering how Chet might have approached the music of today had he not met his infamous fateful end in Amsterdam. 

Neil Yates: trumpet, flugelhorn & voice

John Donaldson: piano

Simon Thorpe: bass