Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You). Jazz historian David Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one." His well-publicized 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 '80s.
Baker was born and raised in a musical household in Yale, Oklahoma; his father, Chesney Baker, Sr., was a professional guitar player, and his mother, Vera (née Moser) was a talented pianist who worked in a perfume factory. His maternal grandmother, Randi Moser, was Norwegian. Baker began his musical career singing in a church choir. His father introduced him to brass instruments with a trombone, which was replaced with a trumpet when the trombone proved too large.
Baker received some musical education at Glendale Junior High School, but left school at age 16 in 1946 to join the United States Army. He was posted to Berlin, where he joined the 298th Army band. After leaving the army in 1948, he studied theory and harmony at El Camino College in Los Angeles. He dropped out in his second year, however, re-enlisting in the army in 1950. Baker became a member of the Sixth Army Band at the Presidio in San Francisco, but was soon spending time in San Francisco jazz clubs such as Bop City and the Black Hawk. Baker once again obtained a discharge from the army to pursue a career as a professional musician.
Baker's earliest notable professional gigs were with saxophonist Vido Musso's band, and also with tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, though he earned much more renown in 1952 when he was chosen by Charlie Parker to play with him for a series of West Coast engagements.
In 1952, Baker joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which was an instant phenomenon. Several things made the Mulligan/Baker group special, the most prominent being the interplay between Mulligan's baritone sax and Baker's trumpet. Rather than playing identical melody lines in unison like bebop giants Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, the two would complement each other's playing with contrapuntal touches, and it often seemed as if they had telepathy in anticipating what the other was going to play next. The Quartet's version of "My Funny Valentine", featuring a Baker solo, was a hit, and became a tune with which Baker was intimately associated.
The Quartet found success quickly, but lasted less than a year because of Mulligan's arrest and imprisonment on drug charges. Baker formed his own quartet with pianist and composer Russ Freeman in 1953, along with bassists Carson Smith, Joe Mondragon, and Jimmy Bond and drummers Shelly Manne, Larry Bunker, and Bob Neel. The Chet Baker Quartet found success with their live sets, and they released a number of popular albums between 1953 and 1956. In 1953 and 1954, Baker won the Down Beat and Metronome magazines' Readers Jazz Polls, beating the era's two top trumpeters, Miles Davis and Clifford Brown. Down Beat readers also voted Baker as the top jazz vocalist in 1954. In 1956, Pacific Jazz released Chet Baker Sings, a record that increased his profile but alienated traditional jazz fans; he would continue to sing throughout his career.
Due to Baker's chiseled features, he was approached by Hollywood studios, and he made his acting debut in the film Hell's Horizon, released in the fall of 1955. He declined an offer of a studio contract, preferring life on the road as a musician. Over the next few years, Baker fronted his own combos, including a 1955 quintet featuring Francy Boland, where Baker combined playing trumpet and singing. In 1956 Chet Baker completed an eight month tour of Europe, where he recorded Chet Baker In Europe.
He became an icon of the West Coast "cool school" of jazz, helped by his good looks and singing talent. Baker's 1956 recording, released for the first time in its entirety in 1989 as The Route, with Art Pepper, helped further the West Coast jazz sound and became a staple of cool jazz.
Baker began using heroin in the 1950s, resulting in an addiction that lasted the remainder of his life. At times, Baker pawned his instruments for money to maintain his drug habit. In the early 1960s, he served more than a year in prison in Italy on drug charges; he was later expelled from both West Germany and the United Kingdom for drug-related offenses. Baker was eventually deported from West Germany to the United States after running afoul of the law there a second time. He settled in Milpitas in northern California, where he played in San Jose and San Francisco between short jail terms served for prescription fraud.
In 1968, Baker was savagely beaten (allegedly while attempting to buy drugs) after a gig in The Trident restaurant in Sausalito, California sustaining severe cuts on the lips and broken front teeth, which ruined his embouchure. He stated in the film Let's Get Lost that an acquaintance attempted to rob him one night but backed off, only to return the next night with a group of several men who chased him. He entered a car and became surrounded. Instead of rescuing him, the people inside the car pushed him back out onto the street, where the chase by his attackers continued, and subsequently he was beaten to the point that his teeth, never in good condition to begin with, were knocked out, leaving him without the ability to play his horn. He took odd jobs, among them pumping gas. Meanwhile he was fitted for dentures and worked on his embouchure. Three months later he got a gig in New York City.
Between 1966 and 1974, Baker mostly played flugelhorn and recorded music that could mostly be classified as West Coast jazz.
After developing a new embouchure resulting from dentures, Baker returned to the straight-ahead jazz that began his career. He relocated to New York City and began performing and recording again, including with guitarist Jim Hall. Later in the 1970s, Baker returned to Europe, where he was assisted by his friend Diane Vavra, who took care of his personal needs and otherwise helped him during his recording and performance dates.
From 1978 until his death in 1988, Baker resided and played almost exclusively in Europe, returning to the USA roughly once a year for a few performances. This was Baker's most prolific era as a recording artist. However, as his extensive output is strewn across numerous, mostly small European labels, none of these recordings ever reached a wider audience, even though many of them were well received by critics, who maintain that the period was one of Baker's most mature and rewarding. Of particular importance are Baker's quartet featuring the pianist Phil Markowitz (1978–80) and his trio with guitarist Philip Catherine and bassist Jean-Louis Rassinfosse (1983–85).[citation needed] He also toured with saxophonist Stan Getz during this period.
In 1983, British singer Elvis Costello, a longtime fan of Baker, hired the trumpeter to play a solo on his song "Shipbuilding", from the album Punch the Clock. The song exposed Baker's music to a new audience. Later, Baker often featured Costello's song "Almost Blue" (inspired by Baker's version of "The Thrill Has Gone") in his concert sets, and recorded the song for Let's Get Lost, a documentary film about his life.
The video material recorded by Japanese television during Baker's 1987 tour in Japan showed a man whose face looked much older than he was, but his trumpet playing was alert, lively and inspired. Baker recorded the live album Chet Baker in Tokyo with his quartet featuring pianist Harold Danko, bassist Hein van de Geyn and drummer John Engels less than a year before his death, and it was released posthumously. Silent Night, a recording of Christmas music, was recorded with Christopher Mason in New Orleans in 1986 and released in 1987.
Baker's compositions included "Chetty's Lullaby", "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" ("Tune on a Moon Beam"), "The Route", "Skidadidlin'", "New Morning Blues", "Blue Gilles", "Dessert", and "Anticipated Blues".
At about 3:10 am on May 13, 1988, Baker was found dead on the Prins Hendrikkade, near the Zeedijk, the street below his second-story room of Hotel Prins Hendrik in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with serious wounds to his head. Heroin and cocaine were found in his hotel room, and an autopsy also found these drugs in his body. There was no evidence of a struggle, and the death was ruled an accident. A plaque outside the hotel memorializes him and the room he was staying in, No. 210, is named "The Chet Baker Room".
Baker is buried at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
- Baker was photographed by William Claxton for his book Young Chet: The Young Chet Baker. An Academy Award-nominated 1988 documentary about Baker, Let's Get Lost, portrays him as a cultural icon of the 1950s, but juxtaposes this with his later image as a drug addict. The film, directed by fashion 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), associates and women friends, interspersed with film from Baker's earlier life, and with interviews with Baker from his last years.
- Time after Time: The Chet Baker Project, written by playwright James O'Reilly, toured Canada in 2001 to much acclaim. The musical play Chet Baker – Speedball explores aspects of his life and music, and was premiered in London at the Oval House Theatre in February 2007, with further development of the script and performances leading to its revival at the 606 Club in the London Jazz Festival of November 2007.
- Baker was reportedly the inspiration for the character Chad Bixby, played by Robert Wagner in the 1960 film All the Fine Young Cannibals. Another film, to be titled Prince of Cool, about Baker's life, was cancelled as of January 2008.
- In 1991, singer/songwriter David Wilcox recorded the song "Chet Baker's Unsung Swan Song" on his album Home Again, speculating on what might have been Baker's last thoughts before falling to his death. The song was later covered by k.d. lang as "My Old Addiction" on her 1997 album Drag.
- The song "Chet Baker", which appears on the 2007 CD Wally Page and Johnny Mulhern: Live at the Annesley House, by Irish folk singer-songwriter Wally Page, describes the end of Baker's life in Amsterdam.
- Jeroen de Valk has written a biography of Baker which is available in several languages: Chet Baker: His Life and Music is the English translation.
Other biographies 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.
- He is portrayed by Ethan Hawke in the 2015 film Born to Be Blue.
- The Australian electronica musician Nicholas James Murphy chose Chet Faker as his stage name, in order to pay homage to Chet Baker, who was a big influence for him.
Honors
In 1987 Chet Baker was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
In 1989 he was elected to Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame by that magazine's Critics Poll.
In 1991 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
In 2005 Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry and the Oklahoma House of Representatives proclaimed July 2 as "Chet Baker Day".
In 2007 Mayor of the City of Tulsa, Kathy Taylor, proclaimed December 23 as "Chet Baker Day".
On October 10, 2015 Yale, Oklahoma held the inaugural Chet Baker Jazz Festival in Baker's honor.
My Foolish Heart
Chet Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beware my foolish heart
How white the ever constant moon
Take care my foolish heart
There's a line between love and fascination
That's hard to see, how many names such as this
For they both have the very same sensation
Her lips are much too close to mine
Beware my foolish heart
But should our eager lips combine
Then let the fire start
For this time it isn't fascination
Or a dream that will fade and fall apart
It's love, this time it's love
My foolish heart
Chet Baker and Philip Catherine's song My Foolish Heart is a soulful ballad set to a slow, melancholy tune. The lyrics convey the message of caution in love, warning against the vulnerability and unpredictability of the heart. Throughout the song, the singer is filled with a sense of foreboding, urging himself to be careful and guarded, for fear of getting hurt. The haunting lyrics strike a chord, capturing the universal experience of falling in love and the accompanying uncertainty.
The opening lines of the song establish the mood of caution and hesitation; the night is like a lovely tune, but the singer warns himself to beware his foolish heart. The next lines bring in the image of the moon, a constant yet distant presence, which highlights the beauty and danger of love. The second stanza elaborates on the duality of love and fascination, and how they are often difficult to tell apart. The singer acknowledges the powerful sensation that both evoke, and how they can leave one spellbound in the magic of a kiss.
The final stanza adds a note of hopefulness to the song, as the singer proclaims that this time, it is love that he feels. He allows himself to let go, to embrace the fire that ignites when two people are in love. The repeated motif of the foolish heart serves as a cautionary tale, reminding the listener of the fragility and unpredictability of love, but also highlighting the wonder and joy that it can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
The night is like a lovely tune
The night is peaceful and romantic
Beware my foolish heart
I need to be careful not to fall too deeply in love
How white the ever constant moon
The moon is full and bright shining some light on us from above
Take care my foolish heart
Be cautious you don't make a foolish mistake
There's a line between love and fascination
It's hard to tell between the two feelings
That's hard to see, how many names such as this
Most likely there are many names describing this kind of love-cum-fascination emotion
For they both have the very same sensation
Love and fascination have the same intensity
When you're locked in the magic of a kiss
Those moments when lost in each other intimately
Her lips are much too close to mine
She has moved a bit too close to my face
But should our eager lips combine
We could share a passionate kiss if we wanted to
Then let the fire start
The sparks may fly in the midst of the kiss
For this time it isn't fascination
It feels different this time as it's not just fascination
Or a dream that will fade and fall apart
It's not just a passing desire or fantasy, it's real
It's love, this time it's love
What I feel for her is real-love, truly
My foolish heart
My easily-tricked heart, I'm yet to be sure
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: NED WASHINGTON, VICTOR YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
M.J. Leger
Chet was unusual, in that he was able to "play" his voice like he did his trumpet, and to think he was encouraged NOT to sing but did it anyway. His music is a favorite of mine -- as a musician for many years myself, I hear and love the emotion, feelings, mood he puts in his music. Chet often worked with some of the best musicians alive during his time, they recognized his talent and wanted to work with him. He preferred to work in Europe more than here -- our loss, but we have these recordings, and thank you for posting them! (Chet's trumpet was never blaring or strident, (listen to his high notes around 4:48, high but so clear) he knew how to get out of it, just what he wanted, mellow, sometimes rather mournful but beautiful music! One of the best trumpeters in history, and there were many great ones I could mention!
Paul Dance
M.J. Leger many great trumpet players in our history, Chet just happens to be my favorite.
islandbud
Here! Here!! Well said. Thank you. Don 🥂😎🕯🏳️🌈
M.J. Leger
Thanks!
Ben Sitzer
M.J. Leger well said
林輝美
I love his voice and sound❣️
Aure G
The best trumpeter full of feelings
M.J. Leger
I don't think there has ever been or is, another trumpeter with Chet's mellow yet jazzy sound -- incomparable talent! Maybe "will be" but they'll have to go a very long way to compare with Chet. He had all the right licks and sounds, never strident on his horn, always so smooth and sensual, same with his voice! Truly gifted like no other, really.
Luciana Scotti
Non c'è bisogno di avere una voce splendida per trasmettere emozioni....ma Chet Baker, oltre ad essere intenso e sofferto quando canta, è un Mostro Sacro quando suona....nulla da aggiungere. Se non GRANDIOSO!!!!
ひろひろ
かっけぇぇぇ(´;ω;`)
サリンジャーとチェットベイカーという組み合わせ何か素敵