Chet Baker & Enrico Pieranunzi

The Profile

Chet Baker (American trumpeter and singer) and Enrico Pieranunzi (Italian pianist) collaborated on select studio sessions, notably Soft Journey (Rome, 1979–80) and The Heart Of The Ballad (Recanati, 1988), focusing on lyric, cool-toned jazz and classic ballads.

Soft Journey was recorded at Emmequattro Studios in Rome (Dec 1979–Jan 1980) for Edi-Pan and reissued by EGEA in 2008; its session personnel included Maurizio Giammarco (sax), Riccardo Del Fra (double bass), and Roberto Gatto (drums). The Heart Of The Ballad was recorded on February 29, 1988 at Malleus studio in Recanati as a piano–trumpet/vocal duo, featuring classic ballads.

Two glowing reviews celebrate the Chet Baker & Enrico Pieranunzi duo. Soft Journey (Rome, 1979–80) is framed as a cool jazz landmark later made scarce by label issues. The Heart Of The Ballad (Recanati, 1988) captures an intimate, final studio date of ballads with Baker in supreme form. Highlights include My Funny Valentine and Pieranunzi’s lyrical, respectful accompaniment.