Chet Baker: Back In Blue
A recently discovered treasure helps restore the lost legacy of the jazz great
Jazz great Chet Baker’s trajectory is a classic tale of how a collision between triumph and tragedy can impact a legacy.
Known as one of the primary innovators of the musical movement known as “cool jazz,” he was given the nickname “Prince of Cool” throughout his heyday in the mid to late fifties. Known for both his trombone playing and smooth vocals, he fell prey to a tumultuous lifestyle that included bouts with drugs, a series of reckless romances and frequent encounters with the authorities.
His career rebounded in the ‘70s and ‘80s, but it sadly came to an abrupt end when, early in the morning of May 13, 1988, Baker’s body was discovered on the street below his Amsterdam hotel room, the result of serious head wounds apparently caused by a fall from the second story window. On subsequent investigation, qualities of heroin and cocaine were found in his room and the death was ruled an accident.
It was, of course, a sad demise after a career that had found him playing a seminal role in the development of modern jazz. Prior to going out on his own, Baker had played with the greats — getting his initial apprenticeship with Gerry Mulligan and later performing live with Stan Getz and Charlie Parker for a series of West Coast engagements. Eventually, he went out on his own and formed his own quartet, consisting of a rotating group of players that included, at various times, bassists Bob Whitlock, Carson Smith, Joe Mondragan and Jimmy Bond and drummers Larry Bunker, Bob Neal and Shelly Mann. The group became regulars on the L.A. club scene and released a number of popular albums throughout the mid fifties.
As a result, Baker became the darling of the influential jazz magazines, consistently topping the polls in DownBeat and Metronome, and even beating out such formidable competition as Miles Davis and Clifford Brown. He also gained a measure of renowned as a vocalist, and so it was little surprise that given his dashing movie star good lucks, Hollywood came calling. He made his big screen debut in the film “Hell’s Horizon” in 1955, but turned down an offer to sign a studio contract because he chose instead to continue his career as a journeyman musician.
Throughout the mid-50s, Baker continued to tour, dividing his time between Europe and the United States. He also released a number of classic recordings for the Barclay, Pacific Jazz, Riverside, Colpix, RCA, Prestige and CTI record labels. Aside form his individual efforts, he collaborated with Art Pepper, his former mentor Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz. Those recordings continue to stand the test of time and resonate among the most influential jazz albums of all time.
Unfortunately, Baker’s problems with drugs led to a serious decline, He was arrested on various occasions, once resulting in imprisonment at the notorious Riker’s Island. He sometimes pawned his instruments to buy drugs. He was deported from Germany and the U.K. and returned home to record and release a series of albums that veered from cool West Coast jazz to uninspired instrumental pop covers. Nevertheless, he remained remarkably prodigious, and on one occasion released five albums that were all recorded in one week.
Still, he couldn’t avoid misfortune. He was seriously beaten in a drug deal got wrong, causing serious dental damage and the need to relearn how to play trumpet and flugelhorn. He recorded a number of albums of less than satisfactory quality simply to pay the rent and support his family, and claimed he had to take a job at a gas station in order to earn some extra income. For a time, he withdrew from making music entirely. However, he continued to have run-ins with the law, mostly for forging heroin prescriptions.
In 1973, Baker reemerged to forge a comeback and was greeted with enthusiastic audiences in France, Italy, Germany and Denmark, and more or less relocated to the continent while spending minimal time in the U.S. Elvis Costello and Van Morrison took an interest in his work and helped introduce him to a contemporary audience. The famous photographer Bruce Weber helped create a documentary, spawned from a short film and later released five months after his death. He also began writing his memoir, but reportedly lost what he had written while on tour.
Consequently, Blue Room, a newly released collection of lost 1979 recordings culled from sessions at Vara Studio in Holland serves as an essential epitaph. It consists of two discs of mostly extended offerings, with Baker on trumpet and vocal and a backing band featuring — by turns — Phil Markowitz and Frank Olsen on piano, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and Victor Kaihatu on bass, and drummers Charles Rice and Eric Ineke.
That they are only now making an initial appearance is somewhat surprising considering the fact that each of the 13 tracks are not only exceedingly accessible, but also excellent examples of the smooth and supple style for which Baker became known. Propelled by a cool and consistent groove, “Beautiful Black Eyes,” “Oh, You Crazy Moon,” Blue Gilles” and “Blue Room” reflect Baker’s ability to transcend a traditional jazz motif and make music that could easily find favor with a wider audience within a mass appeal marketplace.
To that extent, the music comes from a variety of sources. Two Miles Davis compositions are included — “Nardis” and “Down” — as well as he aforementioned “Beautiful Black Eye,” a cowrite partially credited to Wayne Shorter. Contemporary classics such as “Old Devil Moon,” “The Best Thing For You” and the title track come from he pens of the popular composers Kip Harburg, Irving Berlin, and the team of Rodgers and Hart, respectively.
In a very real way, that diversity comes as no surprise. Many of the great jazz players, Miles included, frequently interpreted standards in ways that found a fit with their exacting execution and daring designs. Baker was no different, and had he not been diverted by his personal perils, he likely would have continued to find favor with those that welcomed any crossover fueled by fusion into the musical mainstream.
As it is, Blue Room is a stirring reminder of Chet Baker’s genius and his seminal influence on the emergence of modern jazz. Baker was never bested, and this album proves that point precisely.
VIDEO: Blue Room unboxing
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Dude, Chet never played any trombone. Not sure who you are on about here?