Chet Baker
The Chet Baker Monument in Amsterdam
Background information
Birth name	Chesney Henry Baker Jr.
Born	December 23, 1929
Origin	Yale, Oklahoma
Died	May 13, 1988
Genre(s)	West Coast jazz
Occupation(s)	Trumpeter Jazz singer
Instrument(s)	Trumpet Vocals
Associated acts	Gerry Mulligan

Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and singer. Image File history File links Chetbakermonument. ... is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Yale is a city located in Payne County, Oklahoma. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... West coast jazz is a form of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles at about the same time as hard bop jazz was developing in New York City, in the 1950s and 1960s. ... A trumpeter may be one of several things: A trumpeter is a musician who plays the trumpet. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Trumpeter redirects here. ... In music a singer or vocalist is a type of musician who sings, i. ... Gerald Joseph Gerry Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz musician, composer and arranger best known for his baritone saxophone playing. ... is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... A trumpeter may be one of several things: A trumpeter is a musician who plays the trumpet. ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ...

Specializing in relaxed, even melancholy music, Baker rose to prominence as a leading name in cool jazz in the 1950s. Baker's good looks and smoldering, intimate singing voice established him as a promising name in pop music as well. But his success was badly hampered by drug addiction, particularly in the 1960s, when he was imprisoned. CD reissue of Daviss 1957 LP Birth of the Cool, collecting much of his 1949 to 1950 work. ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ... Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ...

He mounted a successful comeback in the '70s, but died after falling from a hotel window.

Biography

Early days

Baker was born and raised in a musical household in Yale, Oklahoma; his father was a professional guitar player. Baker began his musical career singing in a church choir. His father introduced him to brass instruments with a trombone, which was replaced with a trumpet when the trombone proved too large for him. Yale is a city located in Payne County, Oklahoma. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ...

Baker received some musical education at Glendale Junior High School, but left school at age 16 in 1946 to join the United States Army. He was posted to Berlin where he joined the 298th Army band. Leaving the army in 1948, he studied theory and harmony at El Camino College in Los Angeles. He dropped out in his second year, and re-enlisted in the army in 1950. Baker once again obtained a discharge from the army to pursue a career as a professional musician. Baker became a member of the Sixth Army Band at the Presidio in San Francisco, but was soon spending time in San Francisco jazz clubs such as Bop City and the Black Hawk. The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... // [[General Information]] El Camino College is a two-year public community college located in Torrance in Los Angeles County, California. ... The Parade Grounds at the Presidio of San Francisco. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Black Hawk, circa 1961, as seen on the cover of Miles Davis In Person, Friday Night at the Black Hawk The Black Hawk was a legendary San Francisco nightclub hosting a spectacular range of jazz talents during its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. ...

Career breakthrough

Baker's earliest notable professional gigs were with saxophonist Vido Musso's band, and also with saxophonist Stan Getz, though he earned much more renown in 1951 when he was chosen by Charlie Parker to play with him for a series of West Coast engagements. Vido William Musso (born January 17, 1913 in Carini; died January 9, 1982 in Rancho Mirage, California) was a Sicilian born jazz saxophonist. ... Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 in Philadelphia – June 6, 1991 in Malibu, California), usually known by his stage name Stan Getz, was an American jazz musician. ... Charles Bird Parker, Jr. ...

In 1952, Baker joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which was an instant phenomenon. Several things made the Mulligan/Baker group special, the most prominent being the interplay between Mulligan's baritone sax and Baker's trumpet. Rather than playing identical melody lines in unison like bebop giants Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, the two would complement each other's playing with contrapuntal touches, and it often seemed as if they had telepathy in anticipating what the other was going to play next. The Quartet's version of "My Funny Valentine", featuring a memorable Baker solo, was a major hit, and became a song with which Baker was intimately associated. Gerald Joseph Gerry Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz musician, composer and arranger best known for his baritone saxophone playing. ... Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the genre of music, for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character see Bebop and Rocksteady. ... For the Australian cricketer nicknamed Dizzy, see Jason Gillespie. ... For other uses, see Counterpoint (disambiguation). ... My Funny Valentine is a song composed by Richard Rodgers to lyrics by Lorenz Hart and is now considered a jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. ...

The Quartet found quick success, but the quartet lasted less than a year because of Mulligan's arrest and imprisonment on drug charges. In 1954, Baker won the Downbeat Jazz Poll. Over the next few years, Baker fronted his own combos, playing trumpet and singing. He became an icon of the west coast "cool school" of jazz, helped by his good looks and singing talent. West coast jazz is a form of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles at about the same time as hard bop jazz was developing in New York City, in the 1950s and 1960s. ...

Drug addiction and professional decline

In 1966, Baker was severely beaten (allegedly while attempting to buy drugs) after a gig in San Francisco, sustaining severe cuts on the lips and broken front teeth, which ruined his embouchure. Accounts of the incident vary, largely because of Baker's lack of reliable testimony on the matter. It has also been suggested that the story is a fabrication altogether, and that Baker's teeth had just rotted due to heavy substance abuse. From that time he had to learn to play with dentures. Gig is the term commonly used by bands with reference to their live shows. ... The embouchure is the use of facial muscles and the shaping of the lips to the mouthpiece of a wind instrument. ... A maxillary denture. ...

A heroin user since the 1950s, the effects of drug addiction eventually caught up with Baker, and his promising musical career declined as a result. He served more than a year in prison in Italy on drugs charges, and was later expelled from both West Germany and England for drug-related offenses. Baker was eventually deported from West Germany to the United States after running afoul of the law there a second time. He settled in Milpitas in northern California where he was active in San Jose and San Francisco between short jail terms served for prescription fraud. For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Deportation is the expelling of someone from a country. ... Location in Santa Clara County and the state of California Country State County Santa Clara Government  - Mayor Jose Joe Esteves Area  - City 13. ... Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... For other uses, see San José. Nickname: Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... San Francisco redirects here. ... A medical prescription ) is an order (often in written form) by a qualified health care professional to a pharmacist or other therapist for a treatment to be provided to their patient. ...

Between 1966 and 1974, Baker mostly played flugelhorn and recorded music that could mostly be classified as early smooth jazz or mood music. A standard 3-valved Bb flugelhorn. ... Smooth Jazz, also sometimes referred to as new adult contemporary music,[1] is generally described as a genre of music that utilizes instruments (and, at times, improvisation) traditionally associated with jazz and stylistic influences drawn from mostly R&B, but also funk and pop. ... Light Music is a generic term applied to a mainly British musical style of light orchestral music, which began post-World War One and had its heyday during the mid-20th Century, although arguably lasts to the present day. ...

Comeback and later career

After developing a new embouchure due to his dentures, Baker returned to the straight-ahead jazz that began his career, relocating to New York City and began performing and recording again, notably with guitarist Jim Hall. Later in the seventies, Baker returned to Europe where he was assisted by his friend Diane Vavra who took care of his personal needs and otherwise helped him during his recording and performance dates. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... James Stanley Hall (born December 4, 1930, Buffalo, New York) is an American jazz guitarist. ...

In 1983, British singer Elvis Costello, a longtime fan of Baker, hired the trumpeter to play a solo on his song "Shipbuilding", from the album Punch the Clock. The song was a top 40 hit in the UK, and exposed a new audience to Baker's music. Later, Baker would often feature Costello's song "Almost Blue" in his live sets, and recorded the song on Let's Get Lost. Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick McManus August 25, 1954) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. ... Shipbuilding is a song written by singer/songwriter Elvis Costello and producer Clive Langer. ... Punch the Clock is an album released in 1983 by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. ... Top 40 is a radio format based on frequent repetition of songs from a constantly-updated list of the forty best-selling singles. ...

Near the end of Baker's life, he resided and played almost exclusively in Europe, returning to the USA roughly once per year for a few performance dates.

Death

At about 3:00 am on Friday May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on a street below his second-story room at the Prins Hendrik Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with serious wounds to his head. Heroin and cocaine were found in his hotel room, and an autopsy also found these drugs in his body. There was no evidence of a struggle, and the death was ruled an accident. However, the lack of witnesses has fueled subsequent unsubstantiated rumors, including some suggesting that Baker was murdered or committed suicide.^[1] is the 133rd day of the year (134th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see Amsterdam (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Heroin (disambiguation). ... Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. ... This article is about the medical procedure. ... A railing accidentally collapses at a college football game, spilling fans onto the sidelines An accident is something going wrong unexpectedly. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ...

Baker's body was brought home for interment in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. A plaque outside the hotel now memorializes him. Inglewood Park Cemetery is located at 720 E. Florence Avenue in Inglewood, California. ... Nickname: Location of Inglewood in Los Angeles County, California Coordinates: , Country State County Los Angeles Established 1888 Incorporated February 14, 1908 Government  - Mayor Roosevelt F. Dorn Area  - Total 9. ...

Book, film and dramatic biographies

Jeroen de Valk wrote a biography of Baker: Chet Baker: His Life and Music. James Gavin has also written a biography: Deep In A Dream — The Long Night of Chet Baker.

Baker was immortalized by the photographer William Claxton in his book Young Chet: The Young Chet Baker. An Oscar-nominated 1988 documentary about Baker, Let's Get Lost, portrays him as a cultural icon of the 1950s, but juxtaposes this with his later image as a drug addict. The film, directed by fashion photographer Bruce Weber, was shot in black-and-white and includes a series of interviews with friends, family (including his three children by 3rd wife Carol Baker), associates and lovers, interspersed with film from Baker's earlier life, and with interviews with Baker from his last years. William Claxton is a photographer and author born in Pasadena, California in 1927. ... Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... Lets Get Lost (1988) is a documentary about the turbulent life and career of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Black-and-white or black and white) can refer to a general term used in photography, film, and other media (see black-and-white). ...

The musical play Chet Baker - Speedball explores aspects of his life and music, and was premiered in London at the Oval House Theatre in February 2007, with further development of the script and performances leading to its revival at the 606 Club in the London Jazz Festival of November 2007. The Oval House Theatre is a theatre directed by Karena Johnson in the London Borough of Lambeth. ... The 606 Club is a jazz club in Chelsea, London. ...

Baker was reportedly the inspiration for the character Chad Bixby, played by Robert Wagner in the 1960 film All the Fine Young Cannibals. Another film, titled Prince of Cool release date 2008, which is claimed to be a new take on the life of Chet Baker "the legendary trumpeter whose heroin addiction contributed to his (reported) suicide in 1988", is being planned. It will star Josh Hartnett. For other persons named Robert Wagner, see Robert Wagner (disambiguation). ... All The Fine Young Cannibals is a 1960 film directed by Michael Anderson, based on the novel by Rosamond Marshall starring Robert Wagner Natalie Wood Susan Kohner George Hamilton and Pearl Bailey. ... Joshua Daniel Hartnett (born July 21, 1978) is an American actor. ...

Honors

• 1989: elected to Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame by that magazine's Critics Poll
• In 2005 Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry and the Oklahoma House of Representatives proclaimed July 2, 2005 as “Chet Baker Day”.
• A group of Musicians from Northern Norway performed 'Chet Baker Tribute' at the Jazz Utsav in Bandra, Mumbai.

Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to jazz. ... Charles Bradford Brad Henry (born June 10, 1963) is the Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. ... The Oklahoma House of Representatives meets in the State Capitol of Oklahoma The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the larger body of the two houses of the Oklahoma Legislature, the other being the Oklahoma Senate. ... is the 183rd day of the year (184th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Partial discography

• With Charlie Parker: Inglewood Jam: Bird and Chet Live at the Trade Winds (1952) (Fresh Sound FRS-CD 17)
• With Al Haig: Chet Baker: Live at the Trade Winds (1952) (Fresh Sound FSCD1001)
• Gerry Mulligan Quartet Featuring Chet Baker (1952) (Fantasy OJCCD-711-2)
• Haig '53: the other pianoless quartet (1953) (Philology)
• L.A get together (1953) (Fresh Sound)
• Chet Baker & strings [bonus tracks] (1953) (Columbia/Legacy)
• Chet Baker sings (1953) (Pacific)
• Compositions and arrangements by Jack Montrose (1953) (Pacific Jazz)
• Grey December (1953) (Pacific Jazz)
• Quartet live, vol. 1: This time the dream's on me (1953) (Blue Note)
• Witch doctor (1953) (Original Jazz Classics)
• Chet Baker big band (1954) (Pacific Jazz)
• Chet Baker sextet (1954) (Pacific Jazz)
• Jazz at Ann Arbor (1954) (Pacific Jazz)
• My funny Valentine (1954) (Philology)
• Quartet live, vol. 2: Out of nowhere (1954) (Blue Note)
• Quartet live, vol. 3: My old flame (1954) (Blue Note)
• The trumpet artistry of Chet Baker (1954) (Pacific)
• Chet Baker sings and plays with Bud Shank, Russ Freeman & strings (1955) (Pacific Jazz)
• In Europe, 1955 (1955) (Philology)
• At the Forum Theater (1956) (Fresh Sound)
• Chet Baker & Crew (1956) (Pacific Jazz)
• Chet Baker cools out (1956) (Boblicity)
• Chet Baker in Europe (1956) (Pacific Jazz)
• Chet Baker Sings (1956) (Pacific Jazz)
• Live in Europe 1956 (1956) (Accord)
• Playboys (1956) (Pacific Jazz)
• Quartet: Russ Freeman/Chet Baker (1956) (Pacific Jazz)
• The James Dean story (1956) (Blue Note)
• Embraceable you (1957) (Pacific Jazz)
• Pretty/groovy (1957) (World Pacific)
• Chet (The lyrical trumpet of Chet Baker) (1958) (Original Jazz Classics)
• Chet Baker in New York (1958) (Riverside/OJC)
• Chet Baker introduces Johnny Pace (1958) (Original Jazz Classics)
• Chet Baker meets Stan Getz (1958) (Verve)
• Chet Baker sings it could happen to you (1958) (Riverside/OJC)
• Theme music from « The James Dean story » (1958) (World Pacific)
• Chet (1959) (Riverside)
• Chet Baker in Milan (1959) (Jazzland/OJC)
• Chet Baker plays (1959) (Riverside)
• Chet Baker plays the best of Lerner and Loewe (1959) (Original Jazz Classics)
• Chet Baker with fifty Italian strings (1959) (Original Jazz Classics)
• Picture of heath (1961) (Pacific Jazz)
• Chet is back! (1962) (RCA)
• Chet is back! (1962) (Bluebird)
• Somewhere over the rainbow (1962) (Bluebird)
• The most important jazz album of 1964/65 (1964) (Roulette Jazz)
• Brussels 1964 (1964) (Landscape)
• Chet Baker sings and plays (1964) (Colpix)
• Stella by starlight (1964) (CMA)
• Baby breeze (1965) (Limelight)
• Baker's holiday: plays & sings Billie Holiday (1965) (EmArcy)
• Boppin' with the Chet Baker quintet (1965) (Prestige)
• Comin' on with the Chet Baker quintet (1965) (Prestige)
• Cool burnin' with the Chet Baker quintet (1965) (Prestige)
• Groovin' with the Chet Baker quintet (1965) (Prestige)
• Smokin' (1965) (Prestige)
• A taste of tequila (1966) (World Pacific)
• Hats off!!! (1966) (World Pacific)
• Into my life (1966) (World Pacific)
• Live at Pueblo, Colorado 1966 (1966) (Baker)
• Quietly, there (1966) (World Pacific)
• Polka dots and moonbeams (1967) (Jazzland)
• Albert's house (1969) (Par)
• Blood, Chet & tears (1970) (Verve)
• She was too good to me (1974) (Columbia)
• Once upon a summertime (1977) (Original Jazz Classics)
• The best thing for you (1977) (A&M)
• The incredible Chet Baker plays and sings (1977) (Carosellp)
• At le Dreher (1978) (West Wind)
• Broken wing (1978) (Inner City)
• Live at Nick's (1978) (Criss Cross)
• Live in Chateauvallon, 1978 (1978) (Esoldun)
• Sings, plays: Live at the Keystone Korner (1978) (High Note)
• Two a day (1978) (All live)
• 79 (1979) (Celluloid)
• Ballads for two (1979) (Sandra)
• Chet Baker with Wolfgang Lackerschmid (1979) (Inakustik)
• Day break (1979) (SteepleChase)
• Live in Montmartre, vol. 2 (1979) (SteepleChase)
• No problem (1979) (SteepleChase)
• Someday my prince will come (1979) (SteepleChase)
• The touch of your lips (1979) (SteepleChase)
• This is always (1979) (SteepleChase)
• Together (1979) (Enja Records)
• With special guests (featuring Coryell, Williams & Williams) (1979) (Inakustik)
• Burnin' at Backstreet (1980) (Fresh Sounds)
• Chet Baker and the Boto Brasilian Quartet (1980) (Dreyfus)
• Just friends (1980) (Circle)
• Live at the Subway, Vol. 1 (1980) (Circle)
• Live at the Subway, Vol. 2 (1980) (Circle)
• Night bird (1980) (WestWind)
• Nightbird (1980) (Retro Music)
• Live at Fat Tuesday's (1981) (Fresh Sound)
• Live at the Paris Festival (1981) (DIW)
• Live in Paris (1981) (Norma)
• In concert (1982) (India Navigation)
• Out of nowhere (1982) (Milestone)
• Peace (1982) (Enja Records)
• Studio Trieste (1982) (CTI)
• At Capolinea (1983) (Red)
• Club 21 Paris, Vol. 1 (1983) (Philology)
• Live at New Morning (1983) (Marshmallow)
• Live in Sweden with Åke Johansson trio (1983) (Dragon)
• Mister B (1983)
• Mr. B (1983) (Timeless)
• September song (1983) (Marshmallow)
• Star eyes (1983) (Marshmallow)
• The improviser (1983) (Cadence Jazz)
• Blues for a reason (1984) (Criss Cross)
• Line for Lyons (1984) (Sonet)
• Candy (1985) (Gazell)
• Chet Baker in Bologna (1985) (Dreyfus)
• Chet's choice (1985) (Criss Cross)
• Diane: Chet Baker and Paul Bley (1985) (SteepleChase)
• Hazy hugs (1985) (Limetree)
• Live from the moonlight (1985) (Philology)
• Misty (1985) (IRD)
• My foolish heart (1985) (IRD)
• Sings again (1985) (Bellaphon)
• Strollin' (1985) (Enja Records)
• Symphonically (1985) (Soul Note)
• There'll never be another you (1985) (Timeless)
• Time after time (1985) (IRD)
• Tune up (1985) (Westwind)
• As Time Goes By (1986) (Timeless)
• As time goes by [love songs] (1986) (Timeless)
• Chet Baker featuring Van Morrison live at Ronnie Scott's (1986) (DRG)
• Live at Ronnie Scott's (1986) (Drg)
• When sunny gets blue (1986) (SteepleChase)
• A night at the Shalimar (1987) (Philology)
• Chet Baker in Tokyo (1987) (Evidence)
• Chet Baker sings and plays from the film « Let's get lost » (1987) (Jive/Novus)
• Four: live in Tokyo, vol. 2 (1987) (Paddle Wheel)
• Memories: Chet Baker in Tokyo (1987) (Paddle Wheel)
• Welcome back (1987) (Westwind)
• "Blåmann! Blåmann!" (1988) (Hot Club Records, Oslo)
• Farewell (1988) (Timeless)
• In memory of (1988) (L & R Music)
• Little girl blue (1988) (Philology)
• My favourite songs, vol. 2: Straight from the heart (1988) (Enja Records)
• My favourite songs, vols. 1-2: The last great concert (1988) (Enja Records)
• Oh you crazy moon (1988) (Enja Records Justin Time)
• Straight from the heart (1988) (Enja Records)
• The heart of the ballad (1988) (Phililogy)
• The best of Chet Baker sings (1989) (Blue Note Records)

Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Chet Baker Sings is an album by jazz musician Chet Baker. ... Embraceable You is a popular song. ... Johnny Pace was a jazz vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Over the Rainbow, music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Yip Harburg, is one of the most famous songs of the late 1930s. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Enja Records is a German jazz record label based in Munich, Germany. ... September Song is an American pop standard composed by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. ... My Foolish Heart is a 1949 film which tells the story of a womans reflections on the bad turns her life has taken. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ...

References

1. ^ Greg B., "About Chet" (fan site) URL accessed 2007-08-04

External links

• Biography at a tribute website
• Chet Baker at the Internet Movie Database
• Chet Baker Lost and Found
• Obituary