So Hard to Know

"So Hard To Know" is a song recorded by American jazz trumpeter and vocalist Chet Baker written by Roxanne Seeman and Rique Pantoja. It appears in "Let's Get Lost", the 1988 Oscar-nominated documentary about the life and career of Baker directed by Bruce Weber.[1][2][3][4]

"So Hard to Know"
Song by Chet Baker
from the album Rique Pantoja & Chet Baker
Released1987
Recorded1985
StudioEstúdio Nas Nuvens
Length5:41
LabelWEA Discos
Composer(s)Rique Pantoja
Lyricist(s)Roxanne Seeman
Producer(s)Chico Neves
Music video
"So Hard To Know" on YouTube

The song was recorded by Baker in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with Baker singing and playing trumpet as a duo with Pantoja.[5] [6][7] It was included in the album Rique Pantoja & Chet Baker released by WEA Latina in 1987.[8][9]

Background

In 1954, Baker decided to perform and record as both trumpet player and singer, reserving space for vocal productions on album recordings in the US and Europe."[10] In 1966, Baker had an artistic collaboration with Brazilian pianist João Donato playing and singing Brazilian compositions as a guest of Donato, who was in the US performing for a season at a nightclub in Sausalito, California.[5]

In the early '80's, Chet Baker met Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist and composer Rique Pantoja while both were playing nightclubs in Paris near each other.  Baker dropped in to hear Pantoja playing, which developed into an artistic collaboration with Pantoja composing songs for Baker to record and Baker inviting Pantoja to tour with him.

Upon returning to Brazil, Pantoja arranged for Baker to play at the Free Jazz Festival in Rio de Janeiro in 1985, during which time Pantoja planned to record an album with Baker and composed instrumental compositions along with a song which would have lyrics for Baker to sing.[3][8]

Pantoja recorded the song idea on a cassette, which was delivered by hand to Roxanne Seeman in Los Angeles, to write the lyrics. Seeman wrote the lyrics in Los Angeles and telephoned them to Pantoja, for Chet Baker to record in Brasil, while Baker was in Rio de Janeiro to perform in the Free Jazz Festival, 1985.[11]

Composition and style

In an LA Times interview, Pantoja described his style of composition as a mix of "Brazilian rhythm with a jazz feeling" with "some room for improvisation."[8][7] Luis Nassif of GGN called Baker a "romantic...owner of a fragile, delicate, almost whispering voice."[10] Baker's style of singing was said to have influenced the Brazilian style.  Gerry Peary, Entertainment News Service wrote: "Weber recalled a birthday party he attended, where Baker sat in on trumpet behind an awed, suddenly timid vocalist, Astrud Gilberto."[12]

Correio Braziliense described Baker's vocal style as "economic virtuosity"...with "decisive influences of bossa nova, both in the way of playing and singing"..."economically, softly, almost whispering".[13]

Critical reception

"Baker's horn work is clear bright and even upbeat.  The same goes for his vocals on 'So Hard to Know'."[6] Arnaldo Desouteiro of Jazz Station called it a "haunting ballad".[14]

Production

"So Hard To Know" by Chet Baker was produced and recorded in Brazil by Chico Neves. It was recorded on 206 2" Scotch tape. The analog master tape remained unplayed for almost 30 years, at which time it was transcribed from analog to digital by Anderson Guerra at Bunker Discos, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.[15]

Credits and personnel
  • Bass – Sizão Machado
  • Drums – Bob Wyatt
  • Piano, Synthesizer – Rique Pantoja
  • Trumpet, Vocals – Chet Baker
  • Producer – Chico Neves

Let's Get Lost
Let's Get Lost Chet Baker documentary film directed by Bruce Weber DVD cover

Chet Baker brought "So Hard To Know" to Bruce Weber for use in the documentary while they were filming. It appears in a scene where Chet Baker is in the backseat of a convertible car, with a woman at either side, riding down the Pacific Coast Highway in California.[16]

Let's Get Lost was released on VHS and Laserdisc in Japan on November 21, 1993.[17] It was originally going to be released on DVD in 2007 along with an expanded version of the film's soundtrack.[18]

The DVD was released in the UK on July 28, 2008, and in the US by on December 3, 2013.[19] The Blu-ray was released in Italy.

Let’s Get Lost was released in France as a 2-DVD + 1-CD deluxe package. It includes the complete movie remastered in High Definition (DVD 1) plus a second DVD titled Les Compléments, with bonus extra including a making-of ("À la recherche de Chet Baker") that ends with "So Hard To Know".[14]

[20][21]

Chain of Desire

"So Hard To Know" appears in the film Chain of Desire starring Malcolm McDowell.[22][8]

References
  1. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2002-03-16). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. Rafferty, Terrence (2007-06-03). "Let's Get Lost - Chet Baker - Film". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  3. Jones, Janice L. (1992-05-30). "Jazz Artists Are Going in New Directions : Composer: Internationally known Rique Pantoja, who plays in San Juan Capistrano tonight, works toward wider fame in the U.S." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  4. "The 61st Academy Awards | 1989". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  5. Ruddick, Matthew (2014). Funny Valentine: La vita di Chet Baker (in Italian). Arcana. ISBN 9788862317221.
  6. "Rock legends' music spices jazz album, Record Reviews by United Press International". Eureka Times-Standard. 30 September 1989. p. 16.
  7. Franckling, Ken (12 September 1989). "Brazilian beat comes on strong in American jazz scene". Arlington Heights Daily Herald. p. 179.
  8. Stewart, Zan (1992-09-10). "Pantoja Returns the Compliment : Music: Because a trumpeter took note of his tunes, the Brazilian composer was inspired to keep writing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  9. "So Hard to Know - Chet Baker, Rique Pantoja | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  10. "Chet Baker, a atuação que mudou a vida de João Gilberto". GGN (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2012-12-09. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  11. "Chet Baker Catalog". www.jazzdisco.org. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  12. Peary, Gerry (25 July 1989). "Photographer's film trumpets musician". Arlington Heights Daily Herald Suburban Chicago. p. 14.
  13. Estado', 'Agência (2016-01-18). "Estilo suave de Chet Baker expressar tormento pode ter influenciado a bossa". Acervo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  14. Desouteiro, Arnaldo (2010-06-01). "Jazz Station - Arnaldo DeSouteiro's Blog (Jazz, Bossa & Beyond): DVD of the Month - "Chet Baker: Let's Get Lost"". Jazz Station - Arnaldo DeSouteiro's Blog (Jazz, Bossa & Beyond). Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  15. Chet Baker - So Hard to Know (Isolated Vocal/Trumpet Tracks), retrieved 2019-10-20
  16. Emerson, Jim (8 June 1989). "Jazzman Chet Baker's trumpet of doom". The Register. p. 381.
  17. Weber, Bruce (2008-05-30). "Director Bruce Weber on filming Chet Baker". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  18. Adams, James (2006-09-09). "Through a legend, darkly". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
  19. MFW. "At Long Last, a Jazz Documentary Classic on DVD Stateside". MusicFilmWeb. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  20. "Venice: Bruce Weber Returns For 25th Anniversary Screening of His Chet Baker Doc (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  21. "Let's Get Lost". BAM.org. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  22. "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
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