Artt Frank, Live At The Aldrich

RIDGEFIELD — Legend has it, drummer Artt Frank pulled into a gas station one day in 1967 for $5 worth of gas and what happened next changed his life and the life of Mr Frank’s idol, Chet Baker. The pump boy at the California gas station was the legendary jazz musician Baker, who had fallen on hard times and given up his trumpet playing.

When Mr Frank, who wasn’t sure yet who he was talking to, asked the pump boy about his identity and Mr Baker identified himself, Mr Frank asked why he wasn’t playing music any longer.

“Can’t play without these,” Mr Baker said, pulling back his lips and revealing a mouth without any teeth. The trumpet player admitted then that all of his teeth had been knocked out in a fight.

But that afternoon marked the end of the worst times for Mr Baker, and the beginning of a friendship that would last more than 20 years. Mr Frank, a jazz drummer who is no stranger to the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, among other jazz legends, played behind Mr Baker for the next two decades, during a remarkable comeback for the trumpet player.

After Mr Baker’s death in 1988, Mr Frank continued to mourn his friend for four years. In 1992 Mr Baker’s widow contacted Mr Frank, a Connecticut resident, and convinced her late husband’s friend to record a tribute album. The result was Looking For The Light, a nine-song CD fully evocative of Chet Baker’s style and a symbol of healing for Artt Frank, who continues to reside in Trumbull.

Looking For The Light not only got Mr Frank back into the studio, but it also led to the writing and recording of his next album, called Waltz For Sharon Stone, named after the actress and friend of Mr Frank. The album, on MJA Records, is full of the lyricism, swing and romance of the original jazz Mr Frank loves and lives for.

On Friday, April 14, Mr Frank will be the featured performer for the next session of “Live at The Aldrich,” a jazz series hosted by the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art. Audience members will have the rare gift of seeing a live performance by the former Chet Baker drummer, who will be joined by a celebrated foursome for an evening of live jazz music.

Joining Mr Frank will be MJA recording artist Pat Morrisey on trumpet, Ken Barry on tenow sax and flute, Chris Clarke on piano, and bassist Phil Bowler. Early Porch will also provide vocals for a few of the tunes.

To add to the uniqueness of the evening, Michael J. Armando, the president and CEO of MJA Records, Inc., will be at the museum to present an award to Mr Frank, who has sold more albums than any other artist on the MJA label.

Tickets for “Live at The Aldrich” are $15 each, which includes the performance and light refreshments. Reservations are required, and the museum can be contacted by calling 203/438-4519. The Aldrich is at 258 Main Street (Route 35) in Ridgefield.