Silence by Chet Baker

Silence came out in 1989, two years after it was recorded and only six months before Chet Baker's death, and though it's formally a Charlie Haden record, it plays like one last hushed, late-night set from the Prince of Cool. Haden on bass and Billy Higgins on drums, partners on and off since their days in Ornette Coleman's band, lay down a floor as soft as carpet, Enrico Pieranunzi fills the room with piano, and Baker's trumpet floats over the top, frail and unhurried.

Three of its six tunes, "My Funny Valentine", "'Round Midnight" and "Conception", were staples of Baker's concerts at the time, and "Visa" is a bebop number by Charlie Parker, who Baker had played with as a young man. Heard now, the whole thing sounds like a goodbye nobody knew was coming.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.