This book will attempt to cover the life and work of Chet Baker: an American Jazz trumpet player and singer, active from the 50’s to the 80’s.

There were a lot of revolutionary trumpet players at that time, such as Miles Davis and Dizzie Gillespie, but among them Chet Baker stands out with his gentleness and his musical ear for simple yet captivating melodies. This sensitivity makes his music approachable for many people who generally feel that Jazz may be a bit too much for them – in style, sophistication and peculiarity.

So even if you think Jazz is not for you, try listening to Chet and you may change your mind!

Musical Background – Jazz Evolution

It’s important to understand the way Jazz mutated and formed before and during the time that Chet came into the picture in the 1950’s.

So let’s have a real quick review of the origins of Jazz and how rapidly it changed especially between the 1920’s and the 1950’s.

From the Fields to The Stages

So Jazz actually evolved from a lot of pain and suffering of the African-Americans enslaved in the late 19th century. They actually communicated through singing in the cotton fields and those melodies slowly turned into what we call the Blues. The name “Blues” originated from the slaves sitting together and singing about their sadness and despair, their blues.

Slowly, the music started to seep into the white pop culture, beginning in the vaudeville shows and later on in the big band concerts and the swing dancing in the 1920’s.

Singing in the Cotton Field

Dancing with the Big Band

Big Band Swinging (So Lovely)

Music for Protest

Jazz became the American pop music, and the African-American players that in many ways invented it were sometimes used as entertainers that gave the white crowds a good time. Most of the players in the big bands were African-American, and some of them felt angry that they weren’t getting the chance to express themselves. Solos were few and short, because they were less fun to dance along to.

In Harlem, NYC, which was a neighborhood with mostly African-American residents at that time in the 1930’s, evolved a new genre of Jazz called Bebop. The Bebop players felt some aversion to the players in the big bands, whom in their point of view gave up on their music innovation for the cash and didn’t put an end to the foul relationship with the white employers.

The Bebop players took skills and virtuosity to a different level and gave Jazz some of the provocative sound that it has today.

They didn’t care much about being liked or being pleasant to the ear, quite vice versa. They cared most about fulfilling their potential as musicians, practicing hard, and being revolutionary – making new music that would make a change. Among the famous Bebop players are the saxophone player Charlie Parker, the trumpet player Dizzie Gillespie, pianist Bud Powell and many others.

Charlie Parker’s Bebop

Chet’s Turn

Ok, so until now we’ve had a really shallow overview of the evolution of Jazz, there’s far more to it and it’s very interesting!

But even though this preview was shallow, we can still understand now what a time it was to be a Jazz musician.

Chet Baker, a young trumpet player from Oklahoma, son of two musical parents, joined the American Jazz scene after serving in the United States Army as a trumpet player, playing in Army Bands.

Playing Cool

Chet started his musical career playing with some of the dominant figures of Jazz in those days, Stan Getz and Charlie Parker. When Chet joined Charlie Parker, Parker was in the midst of exploring a new form of Jazz called West Coast Jazz, or Cool Jazz. This form had a calm nature, with less dissonant notes (comparing to Bebop) and a light flow to it. Some call it nowadays “elevator music”, because a lot of hotels, restaurants or other places with a lobby put it as background music in their facilities. But there is so much wisdom in it if you listen to it in the right way.

A lot of the tools musicians gained developing Bebop were used also in Cool Jazz, especially regarding improvisation and technique. But the Cool Jazz was somehow more relaxing and pleasant to the ear.

In 1952, Chet joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. Mulligan was one of the main innovators of Cool Jazz. Together, Chet and Mulligan developed a unique language, completing each other on the spot and sort of knowing where the other one was heading. They balanced each other. They had a very special musical connection.

The quartet preformed in Los Angeles in famous Jazz clubs. One of the songs that became a hit that they performed was “My Funny Valentine”, with a wonderful trumpet solo.

Going Solo

Less than a year passed since Chet joined Mulligan, and Mulligan was arrested and imprisoned for drug charges. Chet formed his own quartet, with alternating players. The quartet published very successful albums between 1953-1956 and gained popularity, and so did Chet, who was chosen in polls in magazines at that time as best Jazz vocalist and also sometimes best Jazz trumpet player, even though there were a lot of other great trumpet players at the time such as Miles Davis and Clifford Brown.

Chet’s Style

Some Jazz teachers that I know told me that a good solo is a solo that you can sing. If it’s too complicated or too far-fetched that you can’t sing along with it, you’ve missed the point.

And Chet was definitely a singer! He sang with his voice, and also with his trumpet. He knew just how to pick the notes to create a melody that you can relate to, a melody that will convey to you the feel and the mood of the song. He had wonderful technique, but he used it wisely, in a way that had you intrigued, but still connected to the point of the song.

Chet Baker Sings

In 1954, Pacific Jazz Records released Chet’s debut vocal album. This is one of my favorite albums. All the songs in this album are Jazz standards, most of them are pretty short (around three minutes), with the singing of the standard’s melody and a trumpet solo.

The solos are many times relating to the melody of the standard itself. Many of the solos in this album are being transcribed all over the world – people who are learning Jazz improvisation are listening to these solos, putting them down in notes and playing them to learn the style and the ideas.

But more important than everything mentioned above: this simple yet genius album reaches the heart.

Fame and its Cost

Chet became famous! Hollywood saw his potential and he did his first movie, “Hell’s Horizon” in 1955. He had a quintet with Francy Boland and he went on a tour in Europe.

Chet was arrested in Italy in 1959 for drug charges, while he was there recording with conductor Ezio Leoni and his orchestra. After getting out of prison, in 1960 he was expelled from Germany and the UK on drug related offences.

In the U.S, Chet got in and out of jail on prescription fraud. His addiction made him pawn his instruments sometimes in order to buy drugs. In between, he played the flugelhorn and made some more West Coast Jazz.

In 1966, Chet was beaten, probably due to some attempt to get drugs. During this beating he broke his tooth, which made him unable to play the trumpet. He worked at a gas station. These were probably the darkest days of his life.

Chet’s Comeback

Chet worked hard to get his embouchure back after breaking his tooth, and decided to do what ever it takes to keep making music. He moved to NYC and started recording again. Later in the 70’s he moved to Europe and spent most of his time recording and performing there. This was a very prolific time for him as an artist.

In 1988 Chet left the world in a very unfortunate accident – he fell from the second story window in a hotel in Amsterdam. Heroin and cocaine were found in his room and in his body. He was only 59 years old in his death.

His music and ideas live on, and he is a very appreciated Jazz musician. His connection to the song’s message and mood, his tenderness and his love of the tune, all make him a simple, yet genius person.