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Chet Baker is portrayed by Ethan Hawke in the 2015 film Born to Be Blue. It is a reimagining of Baker's career in the late 1960s, when he is famous for both his music and his addiction, and he takes part in a movie about his life to boost his career. [ 50 ] Steve Wall plays Baker in the 2018 film My Foolish Heart.
Sep 26, 2024 · Chet Baker (born December 23, 1929, Yale, Oklahoma, U.S.—died May 13, 1988, Amsterdam, Netherlands) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist noted for the plaintive, fragile tone of both his playing and singing. He was a cult figure whose well-publicized struggles with drug addiction curtailed a promising career.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Early Years
- Finding Fame
- Going Solo
- Personal Troubles
- Later Resurgence
- Lasting Legacy
Let’s rewind. Born Chesney Henry Baker, on December 23, 1929, in Yale, Oklahoma, Baker was drawn to music at a young age, aided by the fact that he was born into a musical family (his father had once been a professional guitarist and his mother played piano). A Jack Teagarden fan, his dad bought 14-year-old “Chetty” (as his mum called him) a trombo...
Baker’s big breakthrough was joining baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan’s quartet in 1952 – an outfit deemed revolutionary at the time because it had no pianist. The unorthodox set up allowed its two horn players more harmonic freedom, however, and prompted them to play intertwining contrapuntal melodies. The group’s gigs attracted huge interest, ...
Baker went solo when Mulligan was incarcerated for narcotics offenses, and quickly made his mark as a vocalist as well as trumpeter, releasing Chet Baker Sings in 1954. His mellow voice possessed a languorous, dreamy quality, and it helped to further his appeal with the wider public. He recorded a slew of albums for Pacific Jazz – among them 1957’s...
But being a jazz musician had its perils and, by this time, hard drugs began to play a major part in the trumpeter’s life. Like many jazz musicians from that period, Chet Baker had been seduced by narcotics, perhaps believing that drugs could aid his creativity. Instead, though, they started to wreck his life. Baker left the US for Europe in the la...
In the 70s, Baker started rebuilding his career. A move to New York saw him recording again, joining the roster at producer Creed Taylor’s influential CTI label, and reuniting with Gerry Mulligan. But tastes were changing in the 70s, with bebop and straight-ahead jazz being eclipsed by the more popular fusion and jazz-rock. By the end of the decade...
Since then, interest in Baker’s life and music has never diminished. He’s been the subject of two films – 2015’s Born To Be Blue, in which Ethan Hawke played Baker; and Bruce Weber’s 1988 documentary, Let’s Get Lost – and had several books written about him, including James Gavin’s revelatory, warts’n’all biography, Deep in a Dream: The Long Night ...
- Charles Waring
- 7 min
Jan 1, 2012 · 1 January 2012. Chet Baker. His technique was said to be terrible, it was rumoured he could barely read music, but it didn’t matter, nothing mattered, because when Chet improvised he was in every moment. Written by Ruby J Murray. Behind extraordinary ideas, there are extraordinary people.
Dec 30, 2022 · Chet Baker’s life was as rough as his vocal and trumpet sounds were smooth. His vibe is unmistakable and had a big influence on some of the biggest stars in 1950s jazz. Both of Baker’s parents were musicians – his dad a guitarist, his mom a pianist – who had to take non-musical jobs during the Depression. Fortunately for Baker, born in ...
Apr 2, 2024 · How Chet Baker became the James Dean of jazz. April 2, 2024. BY Luke Georgiades. He was everyone’s favourite Jazz heartthrob, but in life, Chet Baker was shrouded in mystery. We take a deep dive into the complex mythology of the musician. “Everybody’s got a story about Chet Baker” you hear someone mumble in Let’s Get Lost, Director ...
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Dec 23, 2023 · Born ninety-four years ago today on December 23, 1929, in Yale, Oklahoma, Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker would emerge as one of the most iconic trumpeters in the jazz pantheon. This blog post delves into the life, music, and legacy of a man whose hauntingly lyrical trumpet and tumultuous personal journey left an indelible mark on the world of jazz.
