Chesney Henry Baker Jr., December 23, 1929 – May 13th 1988), was born in Yale (Oklahoma). Baker, a trumpet player, was an integral part of the West coast’s “cool jazz” school in the 1950s. Baker first rose to fame in jazz as part of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which was composed of a pianoless quartet. Mulligan had previously played with Miles Davis and Birth of the Cool is widely recognized as the origin of the movement. Baker’s trumpet playing is distinguished by its sweet, almost vibrato-less tones. Baker was also a singer, so his vocal style and feel matched his trumpet playing. He emphasized clarity and gentleness of expression over vibrato and vocal pyrotechnics. His movie star looks and musical talent were well-respected, but his personal life was troubled. His relationships and his life were marred by his heroin addiction. His addiction led him to prison time. He was also involved in a street battle with drug dealers, which resulted in the loss of his front teeth and other teeth. This forced Baker to learn how to play the trumpet with dentures. Baker spent the last ten of his years in Europe where he recorded and toured extensively. Jazz aficionados consider Baker’s last recordings to be his finest, even though he was already in relative obscurity. He was killed in 1988 when he fell from the Prins Hendrick Hotel in Amsterdam, Holland. The hotel has a plaque that recognizes him. Baker’s final performance was recorded in Rotterdam’s jazzbar Dizzy. The Academy Award-nominated documentary “Let’s Get Lost” focuses on the life and times Chet Baker. It was filmed in Rotterdam and released the same year as his death. Bill Moody published a fictionalized mystery novel entitled Looking for Chet Baker in 2002. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
