Mickey Baker was one of the most versatile and technically proficient players of the 1950s New York studio scene where he made his initial impact. He is best known though for his pop/R&B outings as one half of the duo, Mickey & Sylvia whose recordings can be found on the Jasmine collection 'Love Is Strange' (JASMCD3093).

Here Jasmine focuses on a selection of Mickey's solo recordings along with a handful of his prominent session work all recorded between 1952 and 1959. These selections truly display the breadth of Baker's talent as he plays several different styles with equal brilliance.

When listening to this collection of his outstanding guitar playing there is no question of Mickey Baker's importance in the development of rock and roll and in particular rock and roll guitar. Throughout this time he also continued to teach guitar and wrote the first of several tuition books which became best sellers and have remained in print for over 50 years.

Solo highlights of 1950s session guitar king. Mickey And Sylvia's 1956 hit Love Is Strange is an erotic masterpiece of early rock'n'roll. The duo's male half was Mickey Baker, whose lead guitar stung like a bee. Originally a jazz guitarist, he discovered he made more money by "bending strings", code for playing the blues, and he became an in-demand New York rhythm & blues session ace. (Rolling Stone placed him at 53 of the 100 Greatest Guitarists.) This comp collects his solo instrumental album for Atlantic, The Wildest Guitar, plus various rare recording dates. Joined by other first-call cats like drummer Panama Francis, pianist Champion Jack Dupree and saxophonist Sam 'The Man' Taylor, Baker's combo of feral tonality and controlled chops is thrilling. He was also a melodic master, picking poetically in standards like Third Man Theme and Autumn Leaves. -Michael Simmons, Mojo

In what appears to be a companion piece to a previously released retrospective double-disc set titled Mickey & Sylvia-Love Is Strange: Allthe Hit Singles A's & B's 1950-1962 (Jasmine Records-JASMCD 3093), this current Jasmine release focuses solely on Mickey Baker's prowess as a virtuoso and versatile guitarist, eschewing the duo material with Sylvia Robinson.

A compilation set primarily for diehard fans, this CD contains A- and B-sides of several singles released between 1952 and '59, across several labels. The first pair of singles from Mickey Baker & Orchestra features the tunes Riverboat, Guitar Mambo, Oh Happy Day and Love Me Baby from Savoy Records sessions recorded in August and November 1952, respectively.
I'm Tired and Where Is My Honey come from Baker's enhancing the music of Big Red McHouston & His Orchestra in May 1954 for the Groove label.
In June he did several sessions with Larry Dale that included Champion Jack Dupree on piano. (Two previously unreleased tracks, I Wish I Knew and Stranger Blues are also included from these sessions.)
From the Rainbow label there is a 45 r.p.m. single with Shake Walkin' and Greasy Spoon recorded in May 1955, and there are two more 45s that were released when Baker recorded with Bill Hendricks & His Orchestra later in December 1956.

This material is followed by the inclusion of the main event-the complete album released on Atlantic Records, The Wildest Guitar (SD 8035), which was produced by none other than the legendary Tom Dowd for Nesuhi Ertegun, brother of famed Ahmet, who co-owned and produced the biggest hits of that label's history, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and you know all the rest.
These sides were recorded before, during and after the rise of Mickey & Sylvia, which speaks well of Mickey's popularity and legendary status in the studio-not to mention the resulting career of jazz guitar instruction books that followed (and are still in print). For those who dig his multifaceted technique, this collection provides a better panoramic view than Jasmine's previous two-disc set, which appropriately shared the wealth with Sylvia. -Wayne Goins, Living Blues

Tracklist:
1. Riverboat - Mickey Baker And Orchestra
2. Guitar Mambo - Mickey Baker And Orchestra
3. Oh Happy Day - Mickey Baker And His Guitar
4. Love Me Baby - Mickey Baker And His Guitar
5. I'm Tired - Big Red Mchouston & His Orchestra
6. Where Is My Honey - Big Red Mchouston & His Orchestra
7. I Wish I Knew - Big Red Mchouston & His Orchestra
8. Stranger Blues - Big Red Mchouston & His Orchestra
9. You Better Heed My Warning - Larry Dale & The Mickey Baker Orchestra
10. Please Tell Me - Larry Dale & The Mickey Baker Orchestra
11. Shake Walkin' - Mickey 'Guitar' Baker & His House Rockers
12. Greasy Spoon - Mickey 'Guitar' Baker & His House Rockers
13. Bandstand Stomp - Mickey 'Guitar' Baker & His House Rockers
14. Rock With A Sock - Mickey 'Guitar' Baker & His House Rockers
15. Old Devil Moon - Mickey 'Guitar' Baker & His House Rockers
16. Guitarambo - Mickey 'Guitar' Baker & His House Rockers
17. Spinnin' Rock Boogie - Mickey 'Guitar' Baker & His House Rockers
18. Third Man Theme - Mickey Baker
19. Whistle Stop - Mickey Baker
20. Night And Day - Mickey Baker
21. Midnight, Midnight - Mickey Baker
22. Autumn Leaves - Mickey Baker
23. Baia - Mickey Baker
24. Milk Train - Mickey Baker
25. Old Devil Moon - Mickey Baker
26. Chloe - Mickey Baker
27. Baker's Dozen - Mickey Baker
28. Lullaby Of The Leaves - Mickey Baker
29. Gloomy Sunday - Mickey Baker