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The Reykjavík Grapevine has been published in downtown Reykjavík for more than 20 years. For most of that time, its offices have been next door to the "World Famous Hot Dog Stand.” Every day, people drop-in to our office for various reasons. Sometimes they tell us interesting stuff that we want to share with you, so we interview them, for your pleasure. There is no theme.

In this episode we are joined by legendary Icelandic bassist Tómas R. Einarsson to discuss the recently released 1985 live recording, Chet in Iceland. The recording, which includes 9 songs, captures a performance by jazz icon Chet Baker in Gamla Bíó, Reykjavík in 1985, acompanied by Tómas R. Einarsson on bass, Kristján Magnússon on piano and Sveinn Óli Jónsson on drums. 

Timestamps:

• [00:01:27] The challenge of playing with only 15 minutes of rehearsal.
• [00:03:33] How a mistake during the concert led to a brilliant performance.
• [00:08:56] The story of "My Funny Valentine" and a sweater wager.
• [00:19:35] Why it took 40 years to release this recording and the licensing hurdles.
• [00:39:41] Tómas’s path: From working on oil rigs to discovering the double bass.

Listen to Chet in Iceland on your favorite streaming platform and check out Tómas R. Einarsson’s extensive discography.