View source for Chet Baker

{{Short description|American jazz trumpeter and vocalist (1929–1988)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Chet Baker
| image             = Chet Baker (1955 portrait).jpg
| caption           = Baker in 1955
| birth_name        = Chesney Henry Baker Jr.
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1929|12|23}}
| birth_place       = [[Yale, Oklahoma]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|1988|5|13|1929|12|23}}
| death_place       = [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Cool jazz]]|[[bebop]]|[[West Coast jazz]]}}
| occupations       = {{hlist|Musician|composer}}
| instruments       = {{hlist|Trumpet|flugelhorn|vocals}}
| years_active      = 1949–1988<ref name="Ruhlmann" />
| label             = {{hlist|[[Pacific Jazz Records|Pacific Jazz]]|[[RCA Records|RCA]]|[[Epic Records|Epic]]}}
| spouse            = {{plainlist|
*{{marriage|Charlaine Souder|1950|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|Halema Alli|1956|1964|end=divorced}}
*{{marriage|Carol Ann Jackson|1964}}
}}
| partner           = {{plainlist|
* [[Liliane Rovère|Liliane Cukier]] (1954–1956)
* Diane Vavra (1970)
* [[Ruth Young (singer)|Ruth Young]] (1973–{{Circa|1983}})}}
}}

'''Chesney Henry''' "'''Chet'''" '''Baker Jr.''' (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American [[jazz]] trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in [[cool jazz]] that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/centuryofjazz0000carr|title=A century of jazz|first=Roy|last=Carr|date=December 2, 2004|publisher=London : Hamlyn|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals: ''[[Chet Baker Sings]]'' (1954) and ''[[(Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen to You|It Could Happen to You]]'' (1958). Jazz historian [[Dave Gelly]] described the promise of Baker's early career as "[[James Dean]], [[Frank Sinatra|Sinatra]], and [[Bix Beiderbecke|Bix]], rolled into one".<ref name="Gelly">{{cite book|last1=Gelly|first1=Dave|title=Icons of Jazz: A History in Photographs, 1900–2000|date=2000|publisher=Thunder Bay Press|location=San Diego, California|isbn=1-57145-268-0|edition=North American|url=https://archive.org/details/iconsofjazz00gell}}</ref> His well-publicized [[Substance dependence|drug habit]] also drove his notoriety and fame. Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Leland2004">{{citation|last=Leland|first=John|title=Hip: The History| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oxzubo1GS7oC&pg=PA265|access-date=13 November 2015|date=5 October 2004| publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-052817-1|pages=265–}}</ref>

==Biography==
===Early years===
Baker was born December 23, 1929, in [[Yale, Oklahoma]], and raised in a musical household.<ref name="Gioia1998" />{{Rp|page=169}} His father, Chesney Baker Sr., was a professional [[Western swing]] guitarist, and his mother, Vera Moser, was a pianist who worked in a perfume factory. His maternal grandmother was Norwegian.<ref name="deepinadream">{{Cite book |last=Gavin |first=James |title=Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker |publisher=Chicago Review Press |year=2011 |isbn=9781569767573}}</ref>{{Rp|page=10}} Baker said that owing to the [[Great Depression]], his father, though talented, had to quit as a musician and take a regular job. In 1940, when Baker was 10, his family relocated to [[Glendale, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Chet Baker {{!}} Biography & History|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chet-baker-mn0000094210/biography|access-date=2021-03-15|website=AllMusic|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peary |first=Gerald |date=1988-12-18 |title=Finding the Legendary Chet Baker |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-18-ca-769-story.html |access-date=2025-09-12 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

Baker began his musical career singing in a church choir. His father, a fan of [[Jack Teagarden]], gave him a trombone, before switching to the trumpet at the age of 13 when the trombone proved to be too large for him.<ref name="valk">{{Cite book |title=Chet Baker: His Life and Music |last=Valk |first=Jeroen de |publisher=Berkeley Hills Books |year=2000 |isbn=9789463381987}}</ref> His mother said that he had begun to memorize tunes on the radio before he was given an instrument.<ref name="documentary">{{cite AV media |people=[[Bruce Weber (photographer)|Weber, Bruce]] |date=1988-09-15 |title=[[Let's Get Lost (1988 film)|Let's Get Lost]] |type=Documentary film |publisher=[[Zeitgeist Films]]}}</ref> After "falling in love" with the trumpet, he improved noticeably in two weeks. Peers called Baker a natural musician to whom playing came effortlessly.<ref name="documentary"/>

Baker received some musical education at [[Glendale High School (Glendale, California)|Glendale High School]], but he left school at the age of 16 in 1946 to join the [[United States Army]]. He was assigned to [[Berlin|Berlin, Germany]], where he joined the [[Berlin Brigade|298th Army Band]].<ref name="Gioia1998" />{{Rp|page=170}} While stationed in Berlin, he became acquainted with modern jazz by listening to [[V-Disc]]s of [[Dizzy Gillespie]] and [[Stan Kenton]].<ref name="valk"/> After leaving the Army in 1948, he studied music theory and harmony at [[El Camino College]] in [[Los Angeles]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chet-baker-mn0000094210/biography|title=Chet Baker|website=AllMusic|access-date=2017-04-08}}</ref> He dropped out during his second year to re-enlist. He became a member of the [[Sixth United States Army|Sixth Army Band]] at the [[Presidio of San Francisco|Presidio]] in [[San Francisco]],<ref name=":0" /> spending time in clubs such as [[Bop City]] and the [[Black Hawk (nightclub)|Black Hawk]].<ref name="McKeever2014">{{cite book|last=McKeever|first=Stuart A. |title=Becoming Joey Fizz|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rin2AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17|access-date=25 April 2018|date=19 June 2014|publisher=Author House|isbn=9781496915214|pages=17–}}</ref> He was discharged from the Army in 1951 and proceeded to pursue a career in music.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/chet-baker/Content?oid=2180067|title=Chet Baker|last=Cahill|first=Greg|website=North Bay Bohemian|access-date=2017-04-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016125846/https://www.bohemian.com/northbay/chet-baker/Content?oid=2180067|archive-date=October 16, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Career===
[[File:Getz&BakerSandvika1983x.jpg|thumb|Baker (right) and [[Stan Getz]] in 1983. The two collaborated for over 25 years.]]Baker performed with [[Vido Musso]] and [[Stan Getz]] before being chosen by [[Charlie Parker]] for a series of West Coast engagements.<ref>{{cite book |first=Robert |last=Gordon |title=Jazz West Coast : the Los Angeles jazz scene of the 1950s |page=[https://archive.org/details/jazzwestcoastlos00gord/page/72 72] |publisher=Quartet Books |year=1986 |isbn=9780704326033 |url=https://archive.org/details/jazzwestcoastlos00gord/page/72 }}</ref>

In 1952, Baker joined the [[Gerry Mulligan]] Quartet and attracted considerable attention. Rather than playing identical melody lines in unison like Parker and Gillespie, Baker and Mulligan complemented each other with counterpoint and anticipating what the other would play next. "[[My Funny Valentine]]," with a solo by Baker, became a hit and was associated with Baker for the rest of his career.<ref>{{cite web|author=Davis Inman|url=https://americansongwriter.com/2012/01/chet-baker-my-funny-valentine/|title=Chet Baker, 'My Funny Valentine' |work=American Songwriter |date=January 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427215330/https://americansongwriter.com/2012/01/chet-baker-my-funny-valentine/|access-date=January 21, 2015|archive-date=April 27, 2015}}</ref> With the quartet, Baker was a regular performer at Los Angeles jazz clubs such as [[The Haig]] and the [[Tiffany Club]].<ref name="documentary"/>

Baker formed a quartet with a rotation that included pianist [[Russ Freeman (pianist)|Russ Freeman]], bassists [[Bob Whitlock (musician)|Bob Whitlock]], [[Carson Smith (musician)|Carson Smith]], [[Joe Mondragon]], and [[Jimmy Bond (musician)|Jimmy Bond]], and drummers [[Larry Bunker]], Bob Neel, and [[Shelly Manne]].

Baker's quartet released popular albums between 1953 and 1956. Baker won reader's polls at ''[[Metronome (magazine)|Metronome]]'' and ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazines, beating trumpeters [[Miles Davis]] and [[Clifford Brown]]. In 1954, readers named Baker the top jazz vocalist. In 1954, [[Pacific Jazz Records]] released ''[[Chet Baker Sings]]'', an album that both increased his visibility and drew criticism. Nevertheless, Baker continued to sing throughout the rest of his career.

Baker, with his youthful, chiseled looks oft-photographed by [[William Claxton (photographer)|William Claxton]], and his [[Cool (aesthetic)|cool]] demeanor that evoked breezy California [[Playboy lifestyle|playboy]] living, became somewhat of a [[teen idol]] on top of being a respected, up-and-coming jazz musician.<ref name="documentary"/> Hollywood studios saw movie star potential in Baker, and he made his acting debut in the film ''[[Hell's Horizon]]'' in the fall of 1955. Baker declined a studio contract, preferring life on the road as a musician.

Over the next few years, he led his own combos, including a 1955 quintet with [[Francy Boland]] where Baker combined trumpet-playing and singing. In September 1955, he left for Europe for the first time, completing an eight-month tour and recording for the [[Barclay (record label)|Barclay]] label that October. Some of these sessions were released in the United States as ''[[Chet Baker in Europe]].''<ref name="Inc.1956">{{cite magazine|title=Review spotlight on... Jazz Albums |magazine=Billboard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FgsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA86|access-date=13 November 2015|date=10 November 1956|page=86}}</ref> While there, he also recorded a rare accompaniment for another vocalist: [[Caterina Valente]] playing guitar and singing "[[I'll Remember April (song)|I'll Remember April]]" and "[[Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye]]".<ref name="valente">{{Cite web |url=https://www.jazzwax.com/2020/02/chet-baker-caterina-valente.html |title=Chet Baker + Caterina Valente |date=2020-02-04 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=JazzWax |last=Myers |first=Mark}}</ref>

One month into the tour, pianist [[Dick Twardzik]] died of a heroin overdose. Despite this, Baker continued the tour, employing local pianists.<ref name="valente"/>

Returning to Los Angeles post-tour, Baker returned to recording for Pacific Jazz. His output included three collaborations with [[Art Pepper]], including ''[[Playboys (Chet Baker and Art Pepper album)|Playboys]]'', and the [[Theme Music from "The James Dean Story"|soundtrack]] to ''[[The James Dean Story]]''. Baker moved to [[New York City]], where he collaborated again with Gerry Mulligan for the 1957 release ''[[Reunion with Chet Baker]]''. In 1958, Baker rejoined with Stan Getz for ''[[Stan Meets Chet]]''. That same year, he also released ''[[(Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen to You|It Could Happen to You]]'', similar to ''Chet Baker Sings'', notable for featuring his [[scat singing]] skills in lieu of trumpet-playing. His last significant release before returning to Europe was ''[[Chet (Chet Baker album)|Chet]]'', released by [[Riverside Records]], featuring an all-star personnel that included pianist [[Bill Evans]], bassist [[Paul Chambers]], and drummer [[Philly Joe Jones]], all associated with leading jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.

===Drug addiction and decline===
Soon after signing on with Riverside Records, Baker was arrested twice; the first arrest involved a stay at a Lexington hospital, then imprisonment at [[Rikers Island]] for four months on drug charges. Baker said he began using [[heroin]] in 1957.<ref name="Gioia1998">{{cite book |last=Gioia |first=Ted |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-b1Qmta2wsC&pg=PA191 |title=West Coast Jazz: Modern Jazz in California, 1945-1960 |publisher=University of California Press |year=1998 |isbn=9780520217294}}</ref>{{Rp|page=191}} However, author Jeroen de Valk and pianist Russ Freeman said that Baker started heroin in the early 1950s. Freeman was Baker's musical director after Baker left the Mulligan quartet. Sometimes Baker pawned his instruments to buy drugs.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

In late 1959, Baker returned to Europe, recording in Italy what became known as the Milano sessions with arranger and conductor [[Ezio Leoni]] (Len Mercer) and his orchestra. Baker appeared as himself in the [[musicarello]] film, ''[[Howlers in the Dock]]''. [[Tabloid journalism|Tabloids]] reviled Baker for his drug habit and reckless womanizing and infidelity.<ref name="deepinadream"/>{{Rp|page=169–170}} In August 1960, he was imprisoned in [[Lucca]] for importing narcotics, forging prescriptions, and drug abuse.<ref name="Gioia1998" />{{Rp|page=191}}<ref name="voce">{{Cite web |url=https://www.jazzwax.com/2017/07/chet-baker-la-v.html |title=Chet Baker: La Voce |date=2017-07-21 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=JazzWax |last=Myers |first=Mark}}</ref> This forced Leoni to communicate through the prison warden to coordinate arrangements with Baker as they prepared for recording.<ref>Chet Baker - 1959 Milano Sessions - Promo Sound, CD 4312 ADD</ref>

Baker spent nearly a year and a half in jail, and was later arrested in [[West Germany]] and expelled to Switzerland, then France, later moving to England in August 1962. He appeared as himself in the film ''[[Stolen Hours]]'', which was released in 1963. He was deported from England to France, because of a drug offense, in March 1963. He lived in Paris and performed there and in Spain over the next year, but after being arrested again, he was deported to the U.S. from Germany.<ref name="Ruhlmann">{{cite web|last1=Ruhlmann|first1=William|title=Chet Baker| url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/chet-baker-mn0000094210/biography|website=AllMusic|access-date=13 November 2015}}</ref> He settled in [[Milpitas, California|Milpitas]], California, performing in [[San Francisco]] and [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] between jail terms for prescription fraud.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

Baker's first release in 1962, after his Italian prison sentence, was ''[[Chet Is Back!]]'' for [[RCA Records|RCA]], balancing ballads with energetic bop. That same year, Baker collaborated with [[Ennio Morricone]] in Rome for a series of [[orchestral pop]] records, recording four original songs that he had composed during his prison sentence: "[[Chetty's Lullaby]]", "[[So che ti perderò]]", "[[Motivo su raggio di luna]]", and "[[Il mio domani]]".<ref name="voce" />

Baker returned to New York City in 1964.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jazzwax.com/2012/04/chet-baker-new-york-1964.html |title=Chet Baker: New York, 1964 |date=2012-04-16 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=JazzWax |last=Myers |first=Mark}}</ref> Throughout most of the 1960s, Baker played [[flugelhorn]], and recorded music that could be classified as [[West Coast jazz]].<ref name="Ruhlmann" /> In 1964, he released ''[[The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65]]'' on [[Colpix Records]], and in 1965 he released ''[[Baby Breeze]]'' on [[Limelight Records|Limelight]]. He then released five albums with [[Prestige Records|Prestige]], recorded in one week.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-taste-of-tequila-mw0000865288 |title=A Taste of Tequila Review |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=AllMusic |last=Yanow |first=Scott}}</ref>

Baker fell behind on jazz's latest innovations.<ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=96}} At the end of 1965, he returned to the Pacific label, recording six themed albums whose content veered from straight jazz towards uninspired, instrumental covers of contemporary [[Pop music|pop songs]] arranged by [[Bud Shank]]. Baker himself was unhappy with the records, describing them as "simply a job to pay the rent." By this time, he had a wife and three children to support.<ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=100–101}}

The following summer, already having reached a low point in his career, Baker was beaten up, probably while attempting to buy drugs,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/books/article/Cool-jazz-s-tortured-king-Drugs-abuse-marked-3306745.php|title='Cool' jazz's tortured king / Drugs, abuse marked trumpeter's career|first=Joel|last=Selvin|work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=June 12, 2002}}</ref> after performing at [[The Trident (restaurant)|The Trident]] in [[Sausalito, California|Sausalito]]. In the film ''[[Let's Get Lost (1988 film)|Let's Get Lost]]'', Baker said an acquaintance attempted to rob him, but backed off, only to return the next night with a group of men who chased him. He entered a car and was surrounded. Instead of rescuing him, the people inside the car pushed him back out onto the street, where the chase continued. He received cuts and several of his teeth were knocked out. This incident has been often misdated or otherwise said to be exaggerated partly because of his own unreliable testimony on the matter.<ref name="Ruhlmann"/><ref name="documentary"/>

Regardless, the 1966 incident did lead to his teeth eventually deteriorating. By late 1968 or early 1969, he needed [[dentures]].<ref name="valk"/> This ruined his [[embouchure]], and he struggled to relearn how to play the trumpet and flugelhorn.

Baker claims that, for three years, he worked at a gas station until concluding that he had to find a way back to music and retrain his embouchure.<ref name="interview1980">{{cite AV media |date=1980 |access-date=2023-03-13 |title=Chet Baker interview about drug and jazz1980 |via=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzS-euLdCvc |language=Italian}}</ref> Biographer Jeroen de Valk notes that Baker was still musically active after 1966, performing and occasionally recording. In April 1968, he provided flugelhorn for Bud Shank's ''[[Magical Mystery]]'' album.<ref name="valk"/> In 1969, he released ''[[Albert's House]]'', which features 11 compositions by [[Steve Allen]], who organized the recording date to help Baker restart his career. In 1970, Baker released ''[[Blood, Chet and Tears]]''.

After these unsuccessful releases, Baker withdrew from the music business. He did not release another album for four years, and from around 1968 to 1973, stopped performing in public.<ref name="valk"/> Moving back with his family to his mother's house in San Jose and depending on welfare, Baker was arrested for forging heroin prescriptions. The judge released him on the condition that he remained on [[methadone]] for the next seven years.<ref name="valk"/>

===Comeback===
In 1973, Baker decided to attempt a comeback. Returning to the [[straight-ahead jazz]] that began his career, he drove to New York to perform again.<ref name="valk"/> In 1974, the [[India Navigation]] label released [[In Concert (Chet Baker and Lee Konitz album)|a live album]] of performances with saxophonist [[Lee Konitz]]. ''[[She Was Too Good to Me]]'', released by [[CTI Records]] that same year, is considered a comeback album. His last release of 1974 was another [[Carnegie Hall Concert (Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker album)|live album recorded at Carnegie Hall]], which was his final collaboration with Gerry Mulligan.

From that time, work in both the U.S. and Europe was inconsistent. In 1977, Baker recorded ''[[Once Upon a Summertime (Chet Baker album)|Once Upon a Summertime]]'' and ''[[You Can't Go Home Again (album)|You Can't Go Home Again]]''. That November, he returned to Europe to tour for the rest of that year. Being met with renewed interest in France, Italy, Germany, and Denmark, Baker decided to stay.<ref name="valk"/> He worked almost exclusively in Europe, only returning to the U.S. about once a year to attend some performances.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |date=2017-12-22 |title=Chet Baker resided and played almost exclusively in Europe |url=https://jazzbluesnews.com/2017/12/23/chet-baker-resided-and-played-almost-exclusively-in-europe-returning-to-the-usa-about-once-a-year-for-a-few-performance-dates-video/ |access-date=2022-08-28 |website=Jazzbluesnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

From that point on, Baker recorded a prolific amount of material. In 1979, Baker made 11 records; the following year, he made 10. They were released by small jazz labels such as [[Circle Records (Germany)|Circle]], [[SteepleChase Records|SteepleChase]], and Sandra.

During the early 1980s, Baker began to associate himself with musicians with whom he meshed well, such as guitarist [[Philip Catherine]], bassist [[Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen]], and pianist [[Michel Graillier]].

Later in his career, Baker preferred to play in ensembles without drums.<ref name="valk"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/chet-baker-trio-live-in-paris-the-radio-france-recordings-1983-1985-elemental/ |title=Chet Baker Trio: Live in Paris: The Radio France Recordings 1983-1985 (Elemental) |date=2022-04-22 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=JazzTimes |last=Enos |first=Morgan}}</ref> He detested playing at loud venues to inattentive audiences. At gigs in lively French and American clubs, he would sometimes wait for over half an hour for noise to die down before beginning to perform, and he would pause his performance if the audience made a racket.<ref name="documentary"/><ref>{{Cite book |title=Chet Baker in Europe: 1975-1988 |last=Wulff |first=Ingo |publisher=Nieswand Verlag |year=1993 |language=German, English |isbn=9783926048578}}</ref>{{Rp|page=102}}
[[File:Chet Baker (1929–1988).jpg|thumb|Baker in 1983]]
In 1983, British singer [[Elvis Costello]], a longtime fan of Baker, hired the trumpeter to play a solo on his song "[[Shipbuilding (song)|Shipbuilding]]" for the album ''[[Punch the Clock]]''. The song exposed Baker's music to a new audience. Later, Baker often featured Costello's song "[[Almost Blue (song)|Almost Blue]]" (in turn inspired by Baker's version of "[[The Thrill Is Gone (1931 song)|The Thrill Is Gone]]") in his concert sets.

In 1985, five years after meeting Brazilian pianist/composer [[:pt:Rique Pantoja|Rique Pantoja]] in a club in Paris, Baker was invited by Pantoja to perform at the [[Free Jazz Festival]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]]. While in [[Brazil]], Baker recorded trumpet and vocals for their duet album ''[[Rique Pantoja & Chet Baker]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Janice L. |date=1992-05-30 |title=Jazz Artists Are Going in New Directions : Composer: Internationally known Rique Pantoja, who plays in San Juan Capistrano tonight, works toward wider fame in the U.S. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-05-30-ca-312-story.html |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx63j6P3qr8 |title=Arbor Way (Live) |language=en |access-date=2024-04-24 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

In 1986, ''Chet Baker: Live at Ronnie Scott's London'' presented Baker in an intimate stage performance filmed with Elvis Costello and [[Van Morrison]] as he performed a set of standards and classics, including "[[Just Friends (John Klenner and Sam M. Lewis song)|Just Friends]]", "My Ideal", and "Shifting Down". Augmenting the music, Baker spoke one-on-one with friend and colleague Costello about his childhood, career, and struggle with drugs.

Baker recorded the live album ''[[Chet Baker in Tokyo]]'' with his quartet featuring pianist [[Harold Danko]], bassist [[Hein Van de Geyn]], and drummer {{interlanguage link|John Engels (drummer)|lt=John Engels|nl|John Engels}}. Released eleven months before his death, [[John Vinocur]] named it "a glorious moment in Chet Baker's twilight."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/world/europe/22iht-atease.1.10301301.html|title=A glorious moment in Chet Baker's twilight|last=Vinocur|first=John|date=2008-02-22|work=The New York Times|access-date=2023-03-13|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In the winter of 1986, at a club in New York City, Baker met fashion photographer [[Bruce Weber (photographer)|Bruce Weber]].<ref>{{cite news | last = Adams|first = James | title = Through a Legend, Darkly | work = [[The Globe and Mail]] | date = September 9, 2006}}</ref> Weber convinced him to do a photo shoot for what was originally going to be only a three-minute film.<ref>{{cite news | last = Kreigmann | first = Jame| title = Requiem for a Horn Player | work = [[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]] | pages = 231 | date = December 1988}}</ref> When Baker started opening up to Weber, Weber convinced him to work on a longer film about his life.<ref>{{cite news | last = James | first = Nick | title = Return Of The Cool | work = [[Sight & Sound]] | date = June 2008 | url = http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49455 | access-date = 2008-05-20 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080525034733/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49455/ | archive-date = 2008-05-25 }}</ref> Filming began in January 1987. The finished film, ''[[Let's Get Lost (1988 film)|Let's Get Lost]]'', is a highly acclaimed and stylized [[Documentary film|documentary]] that explores Baker's talent and charm, the glamour of his youth now withered into a derelict state, and his turbulent, sensational romantic and family life. It was released in September 1988, four months after his death that May. Two accompanying soundtrack albums, one compiling highlights from the height of his fame and one featuring new material that Baker recorded during the filming of the documentary, were released in 1989.

=== Death ===
Early on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on the street below his room in Hotel Prins Hendrik, [[Amsterdam]], with serious wounds to his head, apparently having fallen from the second-story window.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pareles|first=Jon|date=May 14, 1988|title=Chet Baker, Jazz Trumpeter, Dies at 59 in a Fall|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/14/obituaries/chet-baker-jazz-trumpeter-dies-at-59-in-a-fall.html|access-date=March 25, 2016|work=The New York Times}}</ref> [[Heroin]] and [[cocaine]] were found in his room and in his body. No evidence of a struggle was found, and the death was ruled an accident.<ref>{{cite web|date=May 18, 2015|title=Chet Baker: het roerige leven van een jazzlegende|url=http://usa365.nl/chet-baker/|access-date=10 June 2020|website=USA365|language=nl}}</ref> According to another account, he inadvertently locked himself out of his room and fell while attempting to cross from the balcony of the vacant room adjacent to his own.<ref>{{cite web|author=Tom Schnabel|date=January 17, 2012|title=How Chet Baker Really Died|url=https://www.kcrw.com/music/articles/how-chet-baker-really-died|access-date=August 3, 2019|website=Kcrw.com}}</ref> A plaque was placed outside the hotel in his memory.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-08-21|title=Chet Baker - Amsterdam - May 13, 1988|url=http://thelastgps.altervista.org/chet-baker/|access-date=2022-02-21|website=Thelastgps.altevista.org|language=en-US}}</ref>

Baker is buried at the [[Inglewood Park Cemetery]] in [[Inglewood, California]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-23 |title=Notable Lives {{!}} Inglewood Park Cemetery |url=https://www.inglewoodparkcemetery.com/notable-lives/|website=Inglewoodparkcemetery.com |access-date=2022-08-28 |language=en-US}}</ref> next to his father.

== Personal life ==
Chet Baker's personal life was tumultuous, partly owing to a decades-long drug addiction which began in the 1950s and a nomadic lifestyle caused by touring. In 1980, he referred to his life as "1/3 in a car, 1/3 sleeping, and 1/3 playing music."<ref name="interview1980"/>

His first short-lived marriage was to Charlaine Souder in 1950.<ref name="deepinadream"/>{{Rp|page=43–44}} In 1954, despite remaining married to Charlaine, he publicly dated French jazz club-goer Lili Cukier (later known as actress [[Liliane Rovère]]) for two years, introducing her to others as his wife.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/livres/liliane-rovere-actrice-dans-dix-pour-cent-je-suis-une-rescapee-11-04-2019-8050899.php |title=Liliane Rovère, actrice dans "Dix Pour Cent" : "Je suis une rescapée" |last=Merle |first=Sylvain |date=2019-04-11 |website=[[Le Parisien]] |language=French |access-date=2023-03-13 |quote=}}</ref><ref name="deepinadream"/>{{Rp|page=102}} A photo of the couple taken by [[William Claxton (photographer)|William Claxton]] appears as part of a collage on the cover of ''[[Chet Baker Sings and Plays]]''.

Baker's relationship with Lili ended when he informed her of his new marriage to Halema Alli.<ref name="deepinadream"/>{{Rp|page=128}} He married the 20-year-old Halema, seven years his junior, in May 1956, one month after they met.<ref name="deepinadream"/>{{Rp|page=132}} The couple posed for a photograph by William Claxton, where Halema appears in a white dress and rests her head on Baker's knee. They had a son, Chesney Aftab Baker, to whom Baker dedicated his composition, "[[Chetty's Lullaby]]."<ref name="voce"/> Baker was an irresponsible and distant father.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.counterpunch.org/2011/11/25/scenes-from-the-life-of-chet-baker/ |title=Scenes From the Life of Chet Baker |last=St. Clair |first=Jeffrey |date=2011-11-25 |website=CounterPunch |access-date=2023-03-13}}</ref>

In a scandal heavily scrutinized by Italian [[Tabloid journalism|tabloids]], Halema was sent to prison for smuggling [[jetrium]] from Germany to Italy for her husband, though she claimed that she was unaware that she was breaking the law. To his wife's humiliation, by the time of the trial, Baker had already started publicly dating Carol Jackson, a showgirl from [[Surrey]]. After being detained for six months,<ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=86}} Halema returned to [[Inglewood, California|Inglewood]], and their marriage essentially ended, though they remained legally married for several years because tracking down Baker for divorce proceedings was too difficult.<ref name="deepinadream"/>{{Rp|page=169–171; 178}}

In 1962, Carol Jackson gave birth to a son, Dean. Two years later in 1964, Baker returned to the United States, and Halema was able to serve Baker divorce papers.<ref name="deepinadream"/>{{Rp|page=206}} Baker married Carol Jackson in 1964, and they had two more children, Paul in 1965 and Melissa ("Missy") in 1966.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bruce Guthrie: Remembering Chet Baker article @ All About Jazz|url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/bruce-guthrie-remembering-chet-baker|access-date=2021-03-15|website=All About Jazz|date=April 23, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="documentary"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Murray|first=Ruby|date=1 January 2012|title=Chet Baker historical profile {{!}} Dumbo Feather Magazine|url=https://www.dumbofeather.com/articles/historical-profile-chet-baker/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-15|website=Dumbo Feather|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230163341/https://www.dumbofeather.com/articles/historical-profile-chet-baker/ |archive-date=December 30, 2020 }}</ref><ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=x}} Despite his inconsistency in remaining in his family's life, and his infidelity, Carol and Chet never divorced.<ref name="documentary"/>

In 1970, Baker met jazz drummer Diane Vavra. The two started an on-again off-again relationship that lasted until the end of his life. Beginning in the 1980s, she acted as his steady companion while touring Europe.<ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=117}} She took care of his personal needs and assisted him with his career.<ref name=":1"/> The [[Library of Congress]] holds the correspondence of Chet and Diane.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2020/05/chet-baker-heart-and-soul/ |title=Chet Baker, Heart and Soul |date=2020-05-26 |access-date=2023-03-13 |website=Library of Congress Blogs |last=Miller |first=Cait}}</ref> Chet dedicated his 1985 album ''[[Diane (album)|Diane]]'' to Vavra, covering the familiar [[jazz standard]] "[[Diane (Erno Rapee and Lew Pollack song)|Diane]]." For a time, Vavra took refuge at a [[women's shelter]] due to Baker's behavior.<ref name="documentary"/>

In 1973, Baker began a relationship with [[Ruth Young (singer)|Ruth Young]], a jazz singer. She accompanied him on his 1975 tour in Europe, and he lived with her while stopping in New York.<ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=116–117}} They dated, with interruptions, for about a decade.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/this-is-always-ruth-young-nagel-heyer-records-review-by-michael-p-gladstone |title=Ruth Young: This Is Always review |date=2005-07-14 |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=AllAboutJazz |last=Gladstone |first=Michael P.}}</ref><ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=119}} Together, they recorded two duets, "[[Autumn Leaves (1945 song)|Autumn Leaves]]" and "Whatever Possessed Me," for the 1977 album ''The Incredible Chet Baker Plays and Sings''.

Owing to his time in Italy, Baker was fluent in Italian.<ref name="interview1980"/><ref>{{Citation|title=Chet in italiano.mov| date=May 2011 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHhjJWkp3Pw|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211031/aHhjJWkp3Pw|language=en|access-date=2021-03-15|archive-date=2021-10-31|url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Baker enjoyed driving and sports cars.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jerryjazzmusician.com/carol-baker-chet-bakers-widow/ |title=Carol Baker, Chet Baker's widow |date=1998-06-22 |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Jerry Jazz Musician}}</ref><ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=132}} In 1971, 1972, and 1975, Baker was arrested for [[drunk driving]].<ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=108}}

During the late 1960s and 1970s, Baker attempted to begin writing his [[memoir]]s. According to his wife Carol, he lost the draft while traveling on tour.<ref name="valk"/>{{Rp|page=108}} In 1997, Carol Baker published and wrote an introduction to his "lost memoirs," taped around 1978, under the title ''As Though I Had Wings''.<ref name="Ruhlmann" /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://jazztimes.com/archives/as-though-i-had-wings-the-lost-memoir-by-chet-baker/ |title=As Though I Had Wings: The Lost Memoir by Chet Baker |date=2019-04-19 |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=JazzTimes |last=Bouchard |first=Fred}}</ref> What writing exists is scant and idiosyncratic, and  focuses mainly on his time in the army and his drug use.

==Compositions==

Some of Baker's notable compositions include "[[Chetty's Lullaby]]", "[[Freeway (song)|Freeway]]", "Early Morning Mood", "Two a Day", "''[[So che ti perderò]]''" ("I Know I Will Lose You"), "''[[Il mio domani]]''" ("My Tomorrow"), "''[[Motivo su raggio di luna]]''" ("Contemplate on a Moonbeam"), "The Route", "Skidaddlin'", "New Morning Blues" (with [[Duke Jordan]]), "Blue Gilles", "Dessert", "Anticipated Blues", "Blues for a Reason",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Chet-Baker-Quintet-Featuring-Warne-Marsh-Blues-For-A-Reason/release/2593699|title=Chet Baker Quintet* Featuring Warne Marsh - Blues For A Reason|website=Discogs|date=November 13, 1985 |access-date=January 30, 2019}}</ref> "We Know It's Love", and "Looking Good Tonight".

==Legacy==
{{quote box|quote=Angel, devil or both, Chet Baker is the stuff of jazz legend. By his mid-20s, the Oklahoma country boy was famous, leaping to stardom in 1953 with saxophonist Gerry Mulligan’s trend-setting West Coast quartet and winning polls on trumpet. His reputation was no mere publicity bubble. After playing with Baker in his pre-Mulligan days, bebop pioneer Charlie Parker told his trumpet protégé Miles Davis, ‘There’s a little white cat out on the coast who’s going to eat you up.’|align=left|width=20%|source=Geoffrey Smith of ''[[BBC Music]]'' (March 19, 2024) <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.classical-music.com/features/jazz/best-jazz-trumpet-players-ever|title=15 best jazz trumpet players ever|date=March 19, 2024|website=Classical Music}}</ref>}}
[[File:Chetbakermonument.jpg|thumb|Plaque at the Hotel Prins Hendrik, in [[Amsterdam]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Zhuk|first=Roman|title=News - Chet Baker (memorial plaque)|url=http://roman-zhuk.com/index.php?artid=1249143384&lang=eng&id=20150928121417|access-date=March 22, 2020|website=Roman-Zhuk.com}}</ref>|293x293px]]Baker was photographed by [[William Claxton (photographer)|William Claxton]] for his book ''Young Chet: The Young Chet Baker''. An Academy Award-nominated 1988 documentary about Baker, ''[[Let's Get Lost (1988 film)|Let's Get Lost]]'', portrays him as a cultural icon of the 1950s while juxtaposing this with his later image as a drug addict. The film, directed by fashion photographer [[Bruce Weber (photographer)|Bruce Weber]], was shot in black-and-white, and includes a series of interviews with friends, family (including his three children by third wife Carol Baker), musical associates, and female friends, interspersed with footage from Baker's earlier life, and interviews with Baker in his last years. In ''Chet Baker, His Life and Music'', author Jeroen de Valk and others criticize the film for presenting Baker as a "washed-up" musician in his later years. The film was shot during the first half of 1987, the year before Baker's death, ending in Cannes in May 1987, just prior to Baker's June 14, 1987, Tokyo concert, released on ''[[Chet Baker in Tokyo]]''. It premiered four months after Baker's death.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

''Time after Time: The Chet Baker Project'', written by playwright James O'Reilly, toured Canada in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/2001/legit/reviews/time-after-time-the-chet-baker-project-1200467920/ |title=Time After Time: The Chet Baker Project |first=Robert |last=Crew |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=April 6, 2001 |access-date=November 13, 2015}}</ref>

Jeroen de Valk has written a biography of Baker; ''Chet Baker: His Life and Music'' is the English translation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jeroendevalk.nl/ |title=Jeroen de Valk: tekst & muziek |work=Jeroendevalk.nl |access-date=December 18, 2013 |language=nl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110041322/http://jeroendevalk.nl/ |archive-date=January 10, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other biographies of him include James Gavin's ''Deep in a Dream—The Long Night of Chet Baker'', and Matthew Ruddick's ''Funny Valentine''. Baker's "lost memoirs" are available in the book ''As Though I Had Wings'', which includes an introduction by Carol Baker.<ref name="Ruhlmann" />

The 1960 film ''[[All the Fine Young Cannibals]]'', starring [[Robert Wagner]] as a jazz trumpeter named Chad Bixby, was loosely inspired by Baker.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

The 1999 film version of ''[[The Talented Mr. Ripley (film)|The Talented Mr. Ripley]]'', [[Matt Damon]] plays a master of mimicry who imitates Baker's recording of "My Funny Valentine" from ''Chet Baker Sings''.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

Chet Baker is portrayed by [[Ethan Hawke]] in the 2015 film ''[[Born to Be Blue (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.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/berlin-ethan-hawke-hawks-jazz-pic-1201423420/ |title=Berlin: Ethan Hawke Brings Jazz Pic 'Born to Be Blue' to Fest |first=Leo |last=Barraclough |work=Variety |date=February 4, 2015 |access-date=November 13, 2015}}</ref> [[Steve Wall (actor)|Steve Wall]] plays Baker in the 2018 film ''[[My Foolish Heart (2018 film)|My Foolish Heart]]''.

American singer/songwriter [[David Wilcox (American musician)|David Wilcox]] included the tender biographical portrait ''Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song'' on his 1991 album ''Home Again''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/home-again-mw0000265186|title=David Wilcox -- Home Again|website=[[AllMusic]]|first=Vik|last=Iyengar|access-date=Aug 9, 2021}}</ref> Vocalist [[Luciana Souza]] recorded ''The Book of Chet'' in 2012 as a tribute. Brazilian jazz pianist [[Eliane Elias]] dedicated her 2013 album ''[[I Thought About You (Eliane Elias album)|I Thought About You]]'' to Chet Baker.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-thought-about-you-a-tribute-to-chet-baker-mw0002492083|title=Eliane Elias -- I Thought About You | website=[[AllMusic]] | first=Matt | last=Collar | access-date=May 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bailey |first1=C. Michael|title=Eliane Elias: I Thought About You: A Tribute to Chet Baker|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/i-thought-about-you-a-tribute-to-chet-baker-eliane-elias-concord-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php|website=[[All About Jazz]]|access-date=May 10, 2016|date=May 23, 2013}}</ref>

Australian musician [[Chet Faker|Nick Murphy]] chose "Chet Faker" as his stage name as a tribute to Baker. Murphy said, "I listened to a lot of jazz and I was a big fan of ... the way he sang, when he moved into mainstream singing. He had this really fragile vocal style—this really, broken, close-up, and intimate style. The name is kind of just an ode to Chet Baker and the mood of music he used to play—something I would like to at least pay homage to in my own music."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-03-16|title=Discovery: Chet Faker|url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/discovery-chet-faker|access-date=2021-03-13|website=Interview Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2023, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Baker at number 116 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=1 January 2023|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/chet-baker-1234643007/|access-date=11 May 2023|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
* Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame induction, 1987
* ''[[DownBeat]]'' magazine Jazz Hall of Fame, 1989
* [[Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame]], 1991
* [[Grammy Hall of Fame Award]] for ''[[Chet Baker Sings]]'' (1956), inducted 2001<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/hall-of-fame|title=GRAMMY Hall Of Fame|date=October 18, 2010|website=Grammy.com|access-date=June 13, 2021}}</ref>
* Chet Baker Day proclaimed by Oklahoma Governor [[Brad Henry]] and the [[Oklahoma House of Representatives]], 2005
* Chet Baker Jazz Festival in his honor in Yale, Oklahoma, October 10, 2015
* Forlì Jazz Festival in honor of Chet Baker (30 years after his death), in [[Forlì]], [[Italy]], May 2–19, 2018

==Discography==
{{main|Chet Baker discography}}

==Filmography==
* (1955) ''[[Hell's Horizon]]'', by [[Tom Gries]]: actor
* (1959) ''[[Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti]]'', by [[Nanni Loy]]: music
* (1960) ''[[Howlers in the Dock]]'', by [[Lucio Fulci]]: actor 
* (1963) ''Ore rubate'' ["stolen hours"], by [[Daniel Petrie]]: music
* (1963) ''Tromba Fredda'', by Enzo Nasso: actor and music
* (1963) ''Le concerto de la peur'', by [[José Bénazéraf]]: music
* (1964) ''L'enfer dans la peau'', by [[José Bénazéraf]]: music
* (1964) ''Nudi per vivere'', by [[Elio Petri]], [[Giuliano Montaldo]] and [[Giulio Questi]]: music
* (1988) ''[[Let's Get Lost (1988 film)|Let's Get Lost]]'', by [[Bruce Weber (photographer)|Bruce Weber]]: music

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
*Baker, Chet; Carol Baker. ''As Though I Had Wings: The Lost Memoir''. St Martins Press, 1997.
*De Valk, Jeroen. ''Chet Baker: His Life and Music''. Berkeley Hills Books, 2000. {{ISBN|18-931-6313-X}}. Updated and expanded edition: ''Chet Baker: His Life and Music''. Uitgeverij Aspekt, 2017. {{ISBN|9789461539786}}.
*Gavin, James. ''Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.
*Ruddick, Matthew. ''Funny Valentine: The Story of Chet Baker''. Melrose Books, 2012.

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=mn0000094210}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0048329|name=Chet Baker}}
* {{discogs artist|Chet Baker}}
* {{Find a Grave|8527}}
* [https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=BA007 "Baker, Chet"], ''[[Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture]]''.
* [https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/eadmus.mu019010 Chet Baker Materials from the papers of Diane Vavra, 1970–1989] at the [[Library of Congress]]
* Chet Baker Live Recordings from [https://circlerecords.de Circle Records Germany]

{{Chet Baker |state=autocollapse}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Chet}}
[[Category:Chet Baker| ]]
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1988 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American trumpeters]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths from falls]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:American jazz singers]]
[[Category:American jazz trumpeters]]
[[Category:American male jazz musicians]]
[[Category:American male trumpeters]]
[[Category:American people of Norwegian descent]]
[[Category:Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:CTI Records artists]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Cool jazz musicians]]
[[Category:Cool jazz singers]]
[[Category:Cool jazz trumpeters]]
[[Category:Drug-related deaths in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:EmArcy Records artists]]
[[Category:Enja Records artists]]
[[Category:Galaxy Records artists]]
[[Category:Hot Club Records artists]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from California]]
[[Category:Jazz musicians from Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Milpitas, California]]
[[Category:People from Payne County, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Prestige Records artists]]
[[Category:Riverside Records artists]]
[[Category:Sonet Records artists]]
[[Category:SteepleChase Records artists]]
[[Category:Timeless Records artists]]
[[Category:Transatlantic Records artists]]
[[Category:United States Army Band musicians]]
[[Category:Verve Records artists]]
[[Category:DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame members]]