Riccardo Del Fra - Songs for Chet, Songs for Now (2026)

Three wonderful albums from bassist Riccardo Del Fra – a somewhat overlooked jazz musician on the European scene, but a key musical partner of the great Chet Baker during the final decade of Chet's life! First up is Sip Of Your Touch, recorded right after Baker's passing – a beautiful album from bassist Riccardo Del Fra – the French player who made some amazing records with Chet Baker in the 80s, and worked with Barney Wilen too! The album's dedicated to Chet, but has a vibe that's all Riccardo's own – as the tunes features mostly duets with a variety of wonderful artists – Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Dave Liebman on soprano sax, Michel Grallier and Enrico Pieranunzi on piano, and Rachel Gould on vocals! The approach is wonderful – as sensitive as Riccardo's work as an accompanist – and titles include "Piantranese", "Akita View", "Leaving", "Chet", "Lover Man", and "A Sip Of Your Touch". Next is My Chet My Song – a great later album from bassist Riccardo Del Fra – one that references his key musical partnership with Chet Baker in the late 70s and early 80s – yet a record that also shows just how much Riccardo has grown over the years! The album features a set of larger arrangements – original tunes mixed with standards – topped with beautiful work on trumpet and flugelhorn from Airelle Besson, and alto from Pierrick Pedron – both players we don't know at all, but who fill in the record with all sorts of wonderful colors – as does pianist Bruno Ruder, who often has a subtle presence that fits in nicely with the bass, and the drums of Billy Hart. There's a larger ensemble on some of the tracks – arranged by Del Fra with a very evocative sound – and titles include "Wind On An Open Book", "Love For Sale/Wayne's Whistle", "The Bells & The Island", "But Not For Me/Oklahoma Kid", and "My Funny Valentine". Moving People is some of the most powerful work we've ever heard from bassist Riccardo Del Fra – not in the bassy way you might expect from his instrument, but with a larger sense of space and grace, and a magnificent sense of color too – really opening that majestic sense of larger musical vision that Del Fra explored later on his career! The groups here feature a shifting set of players – with key contributions from Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, and Tomasz Dabrowski on trumpet – plus a variety of other musicians who come together in relatively small combos, but with a larger sense of sound that's great. Titles are all originals – and include "Ephemeral Refractions", "Wind On An Open Book 2", "Ressac", "Street Scenes", and "The Sea Behind"