Sydney jazz lovers are in for a treat when Australian jazz legend Gregg Arthur and acclaimed trumpeter Warwick Alder perform music from Chet Baker's back catalogue for one night only.
"Chet was the prince of cool. People still to this day rave about the cool and sophistication of Chet Baker. He seemed to be able to cross genres. Even people who weren't necessarily into jazz loved listening to Chet Baker," Gregg says.Arthur approached Alder to collaborate with him on the project after hearing him play at a festival in Manly. "I said to him 'there's a club in Sydney that would love to have the music of Chet Baker and you and I should collaborate because Chet was a beautiful singer and a brilliant trumpet player'.
"So we thought we could bring our own particular styles together and do the songbook of Chet Baker; neither of us sound like him. He doesn't play like him and I don't sing like him, but we are able to use our own style to just sing the beautiful choices that Chet had in his songbook."
Some of the tracks Arthur and Alder will be performing include 'My Funny Valentine', 'I Fall In Love Too Easily' and 'Look For The Silver Lining'.
Arthur was conscious of selecting songs that bring listeners immense joy. "They are just full of joy; 'Look For The Silver Lining' is an old song but has such a beautiful message. I also love 'Let's Get Lost'; getting lost in each other's arms is just a lovely idea. He really picked lovely songs. I think that's what’s kept his legacy going.
"People can expect pure joy [from the show] – I love the reaction from the audience when we do this collection of songs that Chet Baker loved so much because the tunes are so beautiful and approachable and happy and I think everyone needs that in the world especially at the moment."
In addition to his upcoming concert, Arthur was also inspired by Chet Baker for his latest album 'Gregg Arthur - In Concert - The Great American Songbook', which includes a rendition of 'Look For The Silver Lining' as the opening track.
"We decided to record a live concert which is terrifying; in the studio you can look at each other as a band and go, 'ok let's do that again', but a live concert is a true test of your level; what you hear, is what you get and it was a beautiful audience that night so we had a real vibe going."
2025 is shaping up to be another big year for Gregg Arthur. He's just completed a tour in Singapore and will be performing in London in July, and has a one-hour film of his City Recital Hall Concert in Sydney set to be released on Australian Theatre Live and Broadway on Demand later in the year.
Despite his busy schedule, Arthur continues to find jazz inspiring. "The pure expression of jazz – whatever you've gone through today or this week or even the last couple of hours, you can put that into the music when you're onstage, and when you're working with brilliant musicians like I'm lucky enough to be doing.
"When you're onstage, you don't have any particular plan of how you're going to perform a certain tune – you pick a tempo and start and hopefully create some magic in the moment."
Gregg Arthur & Warwick Alder perform Chet Baker Songbook at The Lounge, Chatswood Concourse (Sydney) 13 March.
