Biography of Chet Baker

As the story goes, the ad man for a well-known clothing company came across a photo and immediately wanted the subject for a new spot. It was sometime later when his agency discovered that the photo was over thirty years old; the man in the picture was Chet Baker. And so, Chet has become a King of Cool, another '50s icon we can gaze at next to Brando, Monroe and Dean. Hopefully, these new fans are checking out the music as well.Chet Baker's finest moments clearly lie in the '50s. From his work with the landmark, piano-less quartet with Gerry Mulligan, and his sides with Russ Freeman, Chet emerged as the finest white trumpeter (when titles like that seemed to matter) of his day. Then there's the vocal sides, with Chet's weedy singing exuding an odd mix of both distant cool and extreme vulnerability. His exile to Italy made him a B-movie superstar and yielded some decent sides as well. The '60s are best written off, with Baker forced into some embarrassing projects, until a more-or-less return to form in the '70s. Even at the end, a ravaged Chet Baker was still capable of an ironic beauty and poignance in his work. ~ Steve Aldrich