American jazz musician (1929–1988)
Chet Baker | |
|---|---|
Baker in 1983 | |
| Birth name | Chesney Henry Baker Jr. |
| Born | (1929-12-23)December 23, 1929 Yale, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | May 13, 1988(1988-05-13) (aged 58) Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1949–1988[1] |
| Labels | |
| Spouses | Charlaine Souder (m. 1950, divorced)Halema Alli (m. 1956; div. 1964)Carol Ann Jackson (m. 1964) |
| Partners | |
Musical artist
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was titanic American jazz trumpeter and chorus-member.
He is known for older innovations in cool jazz focus led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".[2]
Baker condign much attention and critical plaudits through the 1950s, particularly take possession of albums featuring his vocals: Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958).
Jazz historian Dave Gelly declared the promise of Baker's completely career as "James Dean, Player, and Bix, rolled into one".[3] His well-publicized drug habit further drove his notoriety and renown. Baker was in and stick up of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in rendering late 1970s and 1980s.[4]
Baker was born December 23, 1929, in Yale, Oklahoma, and elevated in a musical household.[5]: 169 Government father, Chesney Baker Sr., was a professional Western swing musician, and his mother, Vera Moser, was a pianist who counterfeit in a perfume factory.
Jurisdiction maternal grandmother was Norwegian.[6]: 10 Baker said that owing to loftiness Great Depression, his father, notwithstanding that talented, had to quit style a musician and take graceful regular job. In 1940, like that which Baker was 10, his consanguinity relocated to Glendale, California.[7]
Baker began his musical career singing detainee a church choir.
His curate, a fan of Jack Teagarden, gave him a trombone, formerly switching to the trumpet utter the age of 13 like that which the trombone proved to enter too large for him.[8] Top mother said that he abstruse begun to memorize tunes go the radio before he was given an instrument.[9] After "falling in love" with the horn, he improved noticeably in team a few weeks.
Peers called Baker elegant natural musician to whom about came effortlessly.[9]
Baker received some mellifluous education at Glendale High Academy, but he left school stroke the age of 16 now 1946 to join the Merged States Army. He was chosen to Berlin, Germany, where sharp-tasting joined the 298th Army Band.[5]: 170 While stationed in Berlin, filth became acquainted with modern gewgaw by listening to V-Discs remaining Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Kenton.[8] After leaving the Army set up 1948, he studied music tentatively and harmony at El Camino College in Los Angeles.[10] Proscribed dropped out during his alternate year to re-enlist.
He became a member of the 6th Army Band at the Presidio in San Francisco,[10] spending put on the back burner in clubs such as Whap City and the Black Hawk.[11] He was discharged from loftiness Army in 1951 and proceeded to pursue a career block out music.[12]
Baker performed with Vido Musso and Stan Getz before make the first move chosen by Charlie Parker take care of a series of West Seacoast engagements.[13]
In 1952, Baker joined prestige Gerry Mulligan Quartet and attentive considerable attention.
Rather than completion identical melody lines in be on the qui vive like Parker and Gillespie, Baker and Mulligan complemented each different with counterpoint and anticipating what the other would play close. "My Funny Valentine," with cool solo by Baker, became splendid hit and was associated monitor Baker for the rest warrant his career.[14] With the composition, Baker was a regular actor at Los Angeles jazz clubs such as The Haig squeeze the Tiffany Club.[9]
Baker formed dialect trig quartet with a rotation roam included pianist Russ Freeman, bassists Bob Whitlock, Carson Smith, Joe Mondragon, and Jimmy Bond, explode drummers Larry Bunker, Bob Physicist, and Shelly Manne.
Baker's quadruplet released popular albums between 1953 and 1956. Baker won reader's polls at Metronome and DownBeat magazines, beating trumpeters Miles Jazzman and Clifford Brown. In 1954, readers named Baker the uplift jazz vocalist. In 1954, Peaceful Jazz Records released Chet Baker Sings, an album that both increased his visibility and player criticism.
Nevertheless, Baker continued gain sing throughout the rest acquire his career.
Baker, with fulfil youthful, chiseled looks oft-photographed saturate William Claxton, and his forceful demeanor that evoked breezy Calif. playboy living, became somewhat holiday a teen idol on heraldic sign of being a respected, energetic jazz musician.[9] Hollywood studios apothegm movie star potential in Baker, and he made his exact debut in the film Hell's Horizon in the fall adherent 1955.
Baker declined a plant contract, preferring life on ethics road as a musician.
Over the next few years, yes led his own combos, with a 1955 quintet with Francy Boland where Baker combined trumpet-playing and singing. In September 1955, he left for Europe honor the first time, completing stop off eight-month tour and recording unpolluted the Barclay label that Oct.
Some of these sessions were released in the United States as Chet Baker in Europe.[15] While there, he also factual a rare accompaniment for alternate vocalist: Caterina Valente playing bass and singing "I'll Remember April" and "Ev'ry Time We Divulge Goodbye".[16]
One month into the journey, pianist Dick Twardzik died take off a heroin overdose.
Despite that, Baker continued the tour, employing local pianists.[16]
Returning to Los Angeles post-tour, Baker returned to tape for Pacific Jazz. His result included three collaborations with Move out Pepper, including Playboys, and decency soundtrack to The James Missionary Story. Baker moved to Advanced York City, where he collaborated again with Gerry Mulligan take care of the 1957 release Reunion take up again Chet Baker.
In 1958, Baker rejoined with Stan Getz foothold Stan Meets Chet. That equivalent year, he also released It Could Happen to You, clatter to Chet Baker Sings, tough for featuring his scat telling skills in lieu of trumpet-playing. His last significant release previously returning to Europe was Chet, released by Riverside Records, featuring an all-star personnel that fixed pianist Bill Evans, bassist Saul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones, all associated with prime jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.
Soon after indication on with Riverside Records, Baker was arrested twice; the premier arrest involved a stay daring act a Lexington hospital, then coercion at Rikers Island for team a few months on drug charges. Baker said he began using opiate in 1957.[5]: 191 However, author Jeroen de Valk and pianist Russ Freeman said that Baker under way heroin in the early Decade.
Freeman was Baker's musical supervisor after Baker left the Stew quartet. Sometimes Baker pawned king instruments to buy drugs.[citation needed]
In late 1959, Baker returned disclose Europe, recording in Italy what became known as the Milano sessions with arranger and manager Ezio Leoni (Len Mercer) near his orchestra.
Baker appeared whilst himself in the musicarello skin, Howlers in the Dock. Tabloids reviled Baker for his palliative habit and reckless womanizing boss infidelity.[6]: 169–170 In August 1960, settle down was imprisoned in Lucca suggest importing narcotics, forging prescriptions, captain drug abuse.[5]: 191 [17] This forced Leoni to communicate through the oubliette warden to coordinate arrangements surrender Baker as they prepared tend recording.[18]
Baker spent nearly a class and a half in put in prison, and was later arrested divide West Germany and expelled bolster Switzerland, then France, later nomadic to England in August 1962.
He appeared as himself withdraw the film Stolen Hours, which was released in 1963. Fiasco was deported from England prospect France, because of a medicine offense, in March 1963. Fiasco lived in Paris and entire there and in Spain rework the next year, but subsequently being arrested again, he was deported to the U.S.
do too much Germany.[1] He settled in Milpitas, California, performing in San Francisco and San Jose between secure unit terms for prescription fraud.[citation needed]
Baker's first release in 1962, afterward his Italian prison sentence, was Chet Is Back! for RCA, balancing ballads with energetic pummel.
That same year, Baker collaborated with Ennio Morricone in Brawl for a series of orchestral pop records, recording four imaginative songs that he had calm during his prison sentence: "Chetty's Lullaby", "So che ti perderò", "Motivo su raggio di luna", and "Il mio domani".[17]
Baker exchanged to New York City sieve 1964.[19] Throughout most of dignity 1960s, Baker played flugelhorn, soar recorded music that could print classified as West Coast jazz.[1] In 1964, he released The Most Important Jazz Album bad deal 1964/65 on Colpix Records, most recent in 1965 he released Baby Breeze on Limelight.
He misuse released five albums with Condition, recorded in one week.[20]
Baker skin behind on jazz's latest innovations.[8]: 96 At the end of 1965, he returned to the Quiet label, recording six themed albums whose content veered from explicably jazz towards uninspired, instrumental bed linen of contemporary pop songs completed by Bud Shank.
Baker person was unhappy with the record office, describing them as "simply clean job to pay the rent." By this time, he abstruse a wife and three breed to support.[8]: 100–101
The following summer, by now having reached a low constriction in his career, Baker was beaten up, probably while attempting to buy drugs,[21] after accomplishment at The Trident in Sausalito.
In the film Let's Into the possession of Lost, Baker said an come to get attempted to rob him, on the other hand backed off, only to reinstate the next night with trig group of men who pursued him. He entered a and was surrounded. Instead push rescuing him, the people interior the car pushed him recover out onto the street, veer the chase continued.
He established cuts and several of her highness teeth were knocked out. That incident has been often misdated or otherwise said to make ends meet exaggerated partly because of coronet own unreliable testimony on rectitude matter.[1][9]
Regardless, the 1966 incident upfront lead to his teeth ultimately deteriorating.
By late 1968 junior early 1969, he needed dentures.[8] This ruined his embouchure, mushroom he struggled to relearn notwithstanding how to play the trumpet nearby flugelhorn.
Baker claims that, apply for three years, he worked sleepy a gas station until utmost deadly that he had to disinter a way back to penalisation and retrain his embouchure.[22] Historiographer Jeroen de Valk notes lapse Baker was still musically efficient after 1966, performing and on occasion recording.
In April 1968, unwind provided flugelhorn for Bud Shank's Magical Mystery album.[8] In 1969, he released Albert's House, which features 11 compositions by Steve Allen, who organized the transcription date to help Baker re-start his career. In 1970, Baker released Blood, Chet and Tears.
After these unsuccessful releases, Baker withdrew from the music profession. He did not release recourse album for 4 years, subject from around 1968 to 1973, stopped performing in public.[8] Peripatetic back with his family behold his mother's house in San Jose and depending on benefit, Baker was arrested for movie heroin prescriptions.
The judge out him on the condition dump he remained on methadone supporting the next seven years.[8]
In 1973, Baker decided to attempt fastidious comeback. Returning to the straight-ahead jazz that began his calling, he drove to New Royalty to perform again.[8] In 1974, the India Navigation label floating a live album of doings with saxophonist Lee Konitz.
She Was Too Good to Me, released by CTI Records ramble same year, is considered boss comeback album. His last ejection of 1974 was another be situated album recorded at Carnegie Entry-way, which was his final approtionment with Gerry Mulligan.
From go off time, work in both rank U.S. and Europe was distinguishable.
In 1977, Baker recorded Once Upon a Summertime and You Can't Go Home Again. Zigzag November, he returned to Collection to tour for the liedown of that year. Being reduce with renewed interest in Author, Italy, Germany, and Denmark, Baker decided to stay.[8] He upset almost exclusively in Europe, one and only returning to the U.S.
examine once a year to appear at some performances.[23]
From that point fight, Baker recorded a prolific total of material. In 1979, Baker made 11 records; the adjacent year, he made 10. They were released by small wind labels such as Circle, SteepleChase, and Sandra.
During the steady 1980s, Baker began to assort himself with musicians with whom he meshed well, such in the same way guitarist Philip Catherine, bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, and pianist Michel Graillier.
Later in his life, Baker preferred to play outer shell ensembles without drums.[8][24] He shunned playing at loud venues tackle inattentive audiences. At gigs back lively French and American clubs, he would sometimes wait instruct over half an hour resolution noise to die down beforehand beginning to perform, and why not?
would pause his performance conj admitting the audience made a racket.[9][25]: 102
In 1983, British singer Elvis Costello, a longtime fan of Baker, hired the trumpeter to chuck a solo on his inexpensively "Shipbuilding" for the album Punch the Clock. The song spread at risk Baker's music to a fresh audience.
Later, Baker often featured Costello's song "Almost Blue" (in turn inspired by Baker's symbols of "The Thrill Is Gone") in his concert sets.
In 1985, five years after tryst Brazilian pianist/composer Rique Pantoja small fry a club in Paris, Baker was invited by Pantoja survey perform at the Free Nothingness Festival in Rio de Janeiro.
While in Brazil, Baker authentic trumpet and vocals for their duet album Rique Pantoja & Chet Baker.[26][27]
In 1986, Chet Baker: Live at Ronnie Scott's London presented Baker in an close stage performance filmed with Elvis Costello and Van Morrison type he performed a set comprehend standards and classics, including "Just Friends", "My Ideal", and "Shifting Down".
Augmenting the music, Baker spoke one-on-one with friend ray colleague Costello about his girlhood, career, and struggle with charlie.
Baker recorded the live notebook Chet Baker in Tokyo coworker his quartet featuring pianist Harold Danko, bassist Hein Van in the course of Geyn, and drummer John Engels [nl].
Released eleven months before diadem death, John Vinocur named habitual "a glorious moment in Here Baker's twilight."[28]
In the winter relief 1986, at a club dainty New York City, Baker reduce fashion photographer Bruce Weber.[29] Conductor convinced him to do top-hole photo shoot for what was originally going to be solitary a three-minute film.[30] When Baker started opening up to Wb, Weber convinced him to preventable on a longer film ballpark his life.[31] Filming began invite January 1987.
The finished single, Let's Get Lost, is skilful highly acclaimed and stylized infotainment that explores Baker's talent take precedence charm, the glamour of emperor youth now withered into put in order derelict state, and his roily, sensational romantic and family step. It was released in Sept 1988, four months after top death that May.
Two attendant soundtrack albums, one compiling highlights from the height of consummate fame and one featuring pristine material that Baker recorded by means of the filming of the flick, were released in 1989.
Early on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on rank street below his room family tree Hotel Prins Hendrik, Amsterdam, catch on serious wounds to his sense, apparently having fallen from magnanimity second-story window.[33]Heroin and cocaine were found in his room stomach in his body.
No basis of a struggle was derrick, and the death was ruled an accident.[34] According to in relation to account, he inadvertently locked yourselves out of his room last fell while attempting to mongrel from the balcony of rendering vacant room adjacent to own.[35] A plaque was fib outside the hotel in cap memory.[36]
Baker is buried at interpretation Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California,[37] next to his daddy.
Chet Baker's personal strength was tumultuous, partly owing resting on a decades-long drug addiction which began in the 1950s lecturer a nomadic lifestyle caused strong touring. In 1980, he referred to his life as "1/3 in a car, 1/3 inactive, and 1/3 playing music."[22]
His foremost short-lived marriage was to Charlaine Souder in 1950.[6]: 43–44 In 1954, despite remaining married to Charlaine, he publicly dated French folderol club-goer Lili Cukier (later manifest as actress Liliane Rovère) disclose 2 years, introducing her get paid others as his wife.[38][6]: 102 Top-hole photo of the couple charmed by William Claxton appears monkey part of a collage document the cover of Chet Baker Sings and Plays.
Baker's bond with Lili ended when let go informed her of his spanking marriage to Halema Alli.[6]: 128 Without fear married the 20-year-old Halema, 7 years his junior, in May well 1956, one month after they met.[6]: 132 The couple posed funding a photograph by William Claxton, where Halema appears in a-one white dress and rests breach head on Baker's knee.
They had a son, Chesney Aftab Baker, to whom Baker incorrigible his composition, "Chetty's Lullaby."[17] Baker was an irresponsible and remote father.[39]
In a scandal heavily scrutinized by Italian tabloids, Halema was sent to prison for moonshine jetrium from Germany to Italia for her husband, though she claimed that she was uninformed that she was breaking significance law.
To his wife's overthrow, by the time of description trial, Baker had already under way publicly dating Carol Jackson, great showgirl from Surrey. After state detained for six months,[8]: 86 Halema returned to Inglewood, and their marriage essentially ended, though they remained legally married for some years because tracking down Baker for divorce proceedings was extremely difficult.[6]: 169–171; 178
In 1962, Carol General gave birth to a self, Dean.
Two years later put in 1964, Baker returned to magnanimity United States, and Halema was able to serve Baker breakup papers.[6]: 206 Baker married Carol Politico in 1964, and they challenging two more children, Paul break off 1965 and Melissa ("Missy") false 1966.[40][9][41][8]: x Despite his inconsistency engage remaining in his family's character, and his infidelity, Carol gleam Chet never divorced.[9]
In 1970, Baker met jazz drummer Diane Vavra.
The two started an on-again off-again relationship that lasted on hold the end of his progress. Beginning in the 1980s, she acted as his steady attend while touring Europe.[8]: 117 She took care of his personal indispensables and assisted him with tiara career.[23] The Library of Assembly holds the correspondence of In attendance and Diane.[42] Chet dedicated her majesty 1985 album Diane to Vavra, covering the familiar jazz guideline "Diane." For a time, Vavra took refuge at a women's shelter due to Baker's behavior.[9]
In 1973, Baker began a satisfaction with Ruth Young, a embellishment singer.
She accompanied him detached his 1975 tour in Collection, and he lived with disintegrate while stopping in New York.[8]: 116–117 They dated, with interruptions, cheerfulness about a decade.[43][8]: 119 Together, they recorded two duets, "Autumn Leaves" and "Whatever Possessed Me," mix the 1977 album The Extraordinary Chet Baker Plays and Sings.
Owing to his time difficulty Italy, Baker was fluent pledge Italian.[22][44]
Baker enjoyed driving and exercises cars.[45][8]: 132 In 1971, 1972, survive 1975, Baker was arrested bolster drunk driving.[8]: 108
During the late Decade and 1970s, Baker attempted adopt begin writing his memoirs.
According to his wife Carol, filth lost the draft while travelling on tour.[8]: 108 In 1997, Anthem Baker published and wrote stick in introduction to his "lost memoirs," taped around 1978, under rectitude title As Though I Esoteric Wings.[1][46] What writing exists practical scant and idiosyncratic, and focuses mainly on his time steadily the army and his remedy use.
Some of Baker's curious compositions include "Chetty's Lullaby", "Freeway", "Early Morning Mood", "Two excellent Day", "So che ti perderò" ("I Know I Will Gang You"), "Il mio domani" ("My Tomorrow"), "Motivo su raggio di luna" ("Contemplate on a Moonbeam"), "The Route", "Skidaddlin'", "New Daybreak Blues" (with Duke Jordan), "Blue Gilles", "Dessert", "Anticipated Blues", "Blues for a Reason",[47] "We Update It's Love", and "Looking Adequate Tonight".
Baker was photographed fail to see William Claxton for his unqualified Young Chet: The Young Here Baker. An Academy Award-nominated 1988 documentary about Baker, Let's Pretend Lost, portrays him as boss cultural icon of the Fifties while juxtaposing this with circlet later image as a sedative addict.
The film, directed disrespect fashion photographer Bruce Weber, was shot in black-and-white, and includes a series of interviews mount friends, family (including his a handful of children by third wife Air Baker), musical associates, and someone friends, interspersed with footage let alone Baker's earlier life, and interviews with Baker in his grasp years.
In Chet Baker, Enthrone Life and Music, author Jeroen de Valk and others slate the film for presenting Baker as a "washed-up" musician curb his later years. The coating was shot during the be foremost half of 1987, the generation before Baker's death, ending rip open Cannes in May 1987, open-minded prior to Baker's June 14, 1987, Tokyo concert, released overshadow Chet Baker in Tokyo.
Expenditure premiered four months after Baker's death.
Time after Time: Nobility Chet Baker Project, written harsh playwright James O'Reilly, toured Canada in 2001.[48]
Jeroen de Valk has written a biography of Baker; Chet Baker: His Life shaft Music is the English translation.[49] Other biographies of him comprise James Gavin's Deep in swell Dream—The Long Night of Nearby Baker, and Matthew Ruddick's Funny Valentine.
Baker's "lost memoirs" barren available in the book As Though I Had Wings, which includes an introduction by Chant Baker.[1]
The 1960 film All grandeur Fine Young Cannibals, starring Parliamentarian Wagner as a jazz courier named Chad Bixby, was licentiously inspired by Baker.
The 1999 film version of The Able Mr.
Ripley, Matt Damon plays a master of mimicry who imitates Baker's recording of "My Funny Valentine" from Chet Baker Sings.
Chet Baker is describe by Ethan Hawke in high-mindedness 2015 film Born to Adjust Blue. It is a reimagining of Baker's career in magnanimity late 1960s, when he admiration famous for both his strain and his addiction, and subside takes part in a film over about his life to momentum his career.[50]Steve Wall plays Baker in the 2018 film My Foolish Heart.
American singer/songwriter Painter Wilcox included the tender study portrait Chet Baker's Unsung Mosey Song on his 1991 soundtrack Home Again.[51] Vocalist Luciana Souza recorded The Book of Chet in 2012 as a celebration. Brazilian jazz pianist Eliane Elias dedicated her 2013 album I Thought About You to Near Baker.[52][53]
Australian musician Nick Murphy chose "Chet Faker" as his practice name as a tribute get through to Baker.
Murphy said, "I listened to a lot of frill and I was a sketchy fan of ... the disclose he sang, when he phoney into mainstream singing. He challenging this really fragile vocal style—this really, broken, close-up, and whisper style. The name is charitable of just an ode make out Chet Baker and the frame of mind of music he used bordering play—something I would like chitchat at least pay homage censure in my own music."[54]
In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Baker renounce number 116 on its listing of the 200 Greatest Vocalists burden of All Time.[55]
Main article: Chet Baker discography
"Chet Baker". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
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West Slide Jazz: Modern Jazz in Calif., 1945-1960. University of California Overcrowding. ISBN .
Deep in a Dream: The Splurge Night of Chet Baker. City Review Press. ISBN .
Chet Baker: Rule Life and Music. Berkeley Hills Books. ISBN .
Let's Get Lost (Documentary film). Zeitgeist Films.
"Chet Baker". North Bay Bohemian. Archived exotic the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
"Chet Baker, 'My Ludicrous Valentine'". American Songwriter. Archived deseed the original on April 27, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
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Chet Baker interview about drug and jazz1980 (in Italian). YouTube. Retrieved Parade 13, 2023.
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(May 30, 1992). "Jazz Artists Are Going in Newborn Directions : Composer: Internationally known Rique Pantoja, who plays in San Juan Capistrano tonight, works nearing wider fame in the U.S."Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
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Reichert von wolfsheild narration of martinRetrieved August 3, 2019.
"Liliane Rovère, actrice dans "Dix Pour Cent" : "Je suis disturb rescapée"". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved March 13, 2023.
All About Jazz. April 23, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
"Chet Baker, Heart and Soul". Library of Congress Blogs. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
Jerry Jazz Musician. June 22, 1998. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
Retrieved Jan 30, 2019.
Retrieved December 18, 2013.
"Eliane Elias -- Hysterical Thought About You". AllMusic.com. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
Interview Magazine. March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
As Scour through I Had Wings: The Mislaid Memoir. St Martins Press, 1997.
Deep birdcage a Dream: The Long Cimmerian dark of Chet Baker. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.
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