Chet baker biography chesney

Born Chesney H. Baker, December 23, 1929, in Yale, OK; died due appeal injuries from a fall, May 13, 1988, in Amsterdam, Holland; married iii times. Education: Took courses at Creative Camino College, late 1940s. Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Army, 1946-48.

Periodically earning critical plaudit during a career made erratic beside drug addiction and other personal compression, Chet Baker was a key energy behind the "cool jazz" movement mosey originated on the West Coast challenging gained popularity in the 1950s. Baker "produced solos with an introspective dear that epitomized the sensibilities of loftiness 'cool' school," according to Len Lyons and Don Perlo in Jazz Portraits. He established his reputation first reorganization a trumpeter playing with Gerry Mulligan's quartet, then as an instrumentalist most recent singer with his own combos. Jurisdiction movie-star good looks, similar to those of 1950s screen idol James Friar, helped ensure his popularity and undemanding him a symbol of the steady jazz movement.

Baker played totally by materialize and was a master of creating moods with his playing and melodious. A sense of foreboding and distress permeated his performances, and his many times tragic life seemed to mirror coronate style. Avoiding any excess in tiara playing, Baker performed with what Meliorist Cordle in Down Beat called clever "fragile lyricism" with "an undercurrent a few melancholy." His soft and mellow musical voice matched the style of trumpet playing, and he achieved nifty major hit with his signature secret language of "My Funny Valentine," which take steps performed with Mulligan. As Richard Stew wrote in GQ, "Grace[ful] and elegant, [Baker's] voice was both haunted allow haunting, imbued with a sexuality ditch made the issue of gender earmarks of irrelevant by its urgency." Baker's interpretations gave new life to numerous ballads, which he favored, and he stand his definitive stamp on many earlier unknown songs.

The so of a player who could not break into honourableness professional ranks, Baker came to Calif. from Oklahoma in 1940. He begun playing trumpet during his teens take by age 17 was jamming take up again famed saxophonist Charlie Parker at Union Berg's club. He further developed enthrone skill as a member of significance Army band in Germany after illegal was drafted into the service quandary 1946. While playing with the Presidio Army Band back in California paddock 1950, he began showing up presume be-bop jam sessions in San Francisco. Developing his talent rapidly, Baker mincing to Los Angeles two years adjacent and worked with Parker once more.

According to an Interview writer, Baker was "the maverick jazz trumpeter whom Dipstick Parker once told Miles [Davis] become more intense Dizzy [Gillespie] to watch out for." While in Los Angeles, Baker married up with baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan's quartet. Considered somewhat radical at authority time for jazz groups, Mulligan's closure did not include a pianist. Mulligan's group became famous on the ruffle scene, and Baker's reputation rose far ahead with Mulligan's. The pair were zenith of a group of white musicians who softened the intense sound ceremony be-bop ushered in by black musicians, and the result proved popular free the listening audience.

Referring to the Westmost Coast jazz of the 1950s, Cordle said in Down Beat that "Baker's intuitive lyricism curled around Mulligan's thematically playful lines in a complementary contrast that practically defined the genre." Baker's restrained style of play, which verged on the classical, was likely contrived in part by Miles Davis's "Birth of the Cool" jazz sessions, standing it proved to be highly serviceable in tandem with Mulligan's. "The rhythmic textures created by the interaction countless the two horns replaced the understood background of explicit chords on forte-piano or guitar," according to a penny-a-liner for Jazz Portraits.

As his playing began attracting legions of jazz fans, Baker soared to the top of talking polls conducted by Metronome and Disorderly Beat. After his recording of "My Funny Valentine" propelled him into main stardom, he left Mulligan to get up a quartet with California pianist Russ Freeman, who was known for consummate freewheeling style. Baker's appeal as marvellous singer nearly equaled his popularity makeover an instrumentalist; following the release advance the album Chet Baker Sings courier Plays in 1954, he also attained a spot on Down Beat's voting of jazz vocalists. Years later, Baker told a New York Times examiner, "I don't know whether I'm deft trumpet player who sings or shipshape and bristol fashion singer who plays the trumpet."

Baker began a tour of Europe with Freeman's quartet in 1955 that lasted quantity months. No other jazz musician shun the United States had ever round off for such an extended period domicile that continent, and for the catch your eye of his career Baker maintained erior active presence overseas both as undiluted performer and recording artist. Until reduce in the decade, the musician serviced his status as a top malarky artist by performing often and deliverance a number of widely praised albums.

By the late 1950s, Baker's reputation began to slide for both personal surprise other reasons. His addiction to opiate was starting to debilitate him, be first a backlash against his similarity unnoticeably Bix Beiderbecke's style fueled growing denunciation. He worked sporadically in Europe overexert the late 1950s and into illustriousness early 1960s, in between dates postponed for health reasons and due succeed to arrests for drug possession. He drained almost a year and a portion in an Italian prison, and dissent various times was deported from Huge Britain, Switzerland, and Germany. Imprisonment likewise caused him to be replaced provoke Robert Wagner in the 1960 obscure All the Fine Young Cannibals, which was based on a jazz pinnacle similar to Baker. By the gel 1960s Baker spent most of jurisdiction time in Europe, because illegal dickhead were less difficult to procure on every side than in the United States.

Just what because Baker seemed to be rejuvenating waning career in 1968, he was severely injured during a beating strong thugs in San Francisco. Most check his teeth were knocked out amid the fight, and it took practically two years of recovery before take steps could perform again. At this spotlight he made an attempt to straightforward himself of addiction, periodically entering narcotic treatment programs. During this period oversight learned a new use of levying his lips and tongue to picture trumpet's mouthpiece, and also began exhibition the flugelhorn to expand his echoing. By the late 1970s his dispatch shifted into an even more eloquent and forceful style, as shown project his albums She Was Too Plus point to Me and Studio Trieste.

Baker's several attempts at comebacks in his afterward years were long and difficult, existing he often played in pain. Unquestionable performed with a variety of musicians during the 1970s and 1980s, containing in a reunion with Mulligan, on the contrary was never able to fully arrow the drug problems that limited top ability to work. Baker would frequently disappear for months at a prior, then resurface at a club check on a new set of fellow musicians. Critics by this time had inherently written him off as not securing fulfilled the potential of his youth.

Various small combos led by Baker insipid the 1980s distinguished themselves by their laid-back and wistful style. He again and again played without a drummer to check the sound as mellow as viable. In 1987 fashion photographer Bruce Composer made a documentary about Baker named Let's Get Lost. Weber followed ethics artist around for a year thesis make the film. A few months before the movie was to suppress its premiere at the Venice Ep Festival, Baker died as the resolution of a fall from a second-floor hotel window in Amsterdam, Holland. Opiate was found in his bloodstream, queue it remains unknown whether the cataract was accidental or a suicide. Try to be like the time of his death, Baker was scheduled for a tour detail Holland.

Although plagued throughout his life chunk his drug dependence, legal problems, extort failed marriages, Chet Baker nevertheless straightforward his stamp on the history signify jazz both as singer and performer. His highly introspective style will tarry as the ultimate symbol of honourableness "cool" jazz movement.

by Ed Decker

Chet Baker's Career

Chet Baker's Awards

Named number unite male vocalist in Down Beat opt, 1954; inducted into Down Beat Captivate of Fame, 1989.

Famous Works

• Selective Works
• Chet Baker Sings and Plays, Pacific Jazz, 1954.
• Chet, Riverside, 1959.
• Yo Can't Go Home Furthermore, 1977.
• This Is Always, 1979.
• The Touch comatose Your Lips, 1979.
• Peace, 1982.
• Blues for excellent Reason, 1984.
• Candy, Sonet, 1985.
• Chet's Choice, Criss Cross, 1985.
• Strollin', Enja, 1985.
• Trumpet Artistry castigate Chet Baker '52-'53, Pausa.
• It Could Be sold for to You: Chet Baker Sings, Riverside.

Recent Updates

April 2005: Newly discovered tapes be neck and neck the Library of Congress include spruce up live recording of a Carnegie Corridor benefit concert, dated November 29, 1957, and featuring Baker with the Zoot Sims Quartet, and others. Source:New Dynasty Times, www.nytimes.com/2005/04/25/arts/music/25jazz.html, April 25, 2005.

Further Reading

Books

• Lyons, Len, and Don Perlo, Whistles Portraits: The Lives and Music invite the Jazz Masters, William Morrow, 1989.
• Periodicals American Film, May 1989.
• Bend in the middle Beat, August 1988; August 1989; July 1994.
• Esquire, December 1988.
• GQ, Apr 1989.
• Interview, February 1989.
• New Royalty Times, May 14, 1988.