Chet Baker

Born in Yale, Oklahoma, in 1929 and later raised in California, Chet Baker rose to prominence in the early 1950s on the West Coast jazz scene with a trumpet style that was supple, restrained, and highly melodic, closely associated with cool jazz. After stints with Charlie Parker and Stan Getz, Baker drew particular notice in Gerry Mulligan's piano-less quartet, where the dialogue between the trumpet lines and the baritone saxophone lines became central, especially on 'My Funny Valentine'. Simultaneously an instrumentalist and a singer, Baker developed a light, almost whispered vocal tone that extended the intimate aesthetic of his phrasing. His 1950s discography includes, among others, Chet Baker Sings (1954), Chet (1959), and Chet Baker Is Back! (1962). Beginning in the 1960s, his career alternating periods of intense activity and interruptions due to personal and legal problems, with many stays in Europe—particularly in Italy, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Baker spent time leading quartets and quintets there and recorded with musicians such as Enrico Pieranunzi, Philip Catherine, Jim Hall, or Paul Bley. Until his death in Amsterdam in 1988, Baker maintained this lean, singing tone, hovering between cool lyricism, relaxed bop, and jazz balladry.