Lost: Chet Baker

Although two well-known profiles of Chet Baker take their titles from romantic ballads prominent in the Baker repertoire: James Gavin's book, Deep in a Dream, and Bruce Weber's film, Let's Get Lost, these titles can have another meaning as well.   As can be seen from the photos above showing Chet early and then late in his career-about 30-35 years apart, time was not good to the trumpeter/singer.   In addition to the natural aging process, some portion of Baker's physical transfiguration was the result of the fact that he was lost in the dreamland of heroin addiction a significant percentage of time.  After reading Gavin's biography, I think that any profile of Baker could also borrow the title of Dan Brown's thriller, Angels & Demons.  Early in his career, many considered his appearance angelic and throughout his career, even at times when he was deep in his addiction, Baker could create almost angelic music.  On the other hand,  Baker had demons aplenty to deal with and his behavior was often much more demonic than angelic.  Featured to the right are
Gavin's biography and a companion cd compilation of Baker's music.










Baker first achieved fame when he became part of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and this group made a series of sides in 1952-53.  Baker is best known for his rendition of what at the time was a little known ballad, "My Funny Valentine."  Baker would go on to record this song many times both as an instrumentalist and as a vocalist and some would say that he came to "own" it.



Although the Mulligan quartet would come to regarded as one of the great exemplars of West Coast/Cool jazz, it would not survive Mulligan's arrest for drug possession and the clash of personalities of the two principles.  The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings includes the output of this short-lived ensemble in its "Core Collection."  A 2-cd, 42-track set with all the quartet's recordings is available, as is a "Best Of" compilation that includes 15 songs.














Baker would continue to record with many of the prominent West Coast jazz artists throughout the rest of the 1950's.  He developed an understated trumpet style comparable to Miles Davis, and which many derided as derivative of Davis.  Baker first recorded vocals were on Chet Baker Sings.  With a repertoire limited to ballads and medium tempo numbers, his singing was also laid-back and understated. While some were dismissive of his vocal efforts, others found them to be seductive.  Biographer Gavin argued that with his matinee-idol looks and distinctive style, Baker attracted both women and a strong following of gay men





By the 1960s Baker had progressed from pot head to heroin junkie.  Throughout the remainder of his career and life he would be constantly on the move searching out his next fix and often trying to stay one step ahead of the law.  In 1966 he was so severely beaten in a drug-related incident that he lost his front teeth and had to relearn to play the trumpet.  It was in this period that he also began to play the flugelhorn. Baker was much more popular in Europe than in the U.S. and he spent much of his last 25 years on that continent.  He was so rootless that he didn't even want a bank account and demanded that all payments for recordings and performances be in cash.  As would be expected his recordings from this period are wildly uneven, but even in the depth of his addiction, he could produce some highly regarded music.  In 1985, along with pianist Paul Bley, Baker released Diane, an album consisting mostly of ballads.  With just two instrumentalists, there was no place to hide your errors.  The video below demonstrates that Baker could still produce some beautiful music.
















Remarkably just a few weeks before his death, and at a time when he was in terrible health, Baker presented a concert in Germany that would produce a two-volume recording billed as The Last Great Recording.  This concert showcased Baker in a variety of ensembles ranging from quartet to big band to full orchestra and largely lived up to its billing.



Not long after this concert, Baker's body was found on an Amsterdam sidewalk outside the hotel where he was staying.  Many unanswered questions remain regarding Baker's death and it has even become the subject of a mystery novel, Looking for Chet Baker, by Bill Moody.