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Chet Baker
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The trumpeter and singer Chet Baker grew up in Oklahoma and California. In 1952 he played with Charlie Parker in Los Angeles and became a member of Gerry Mulligan's quartet, with whom he recorded My Funny Valentine. His trumpet tone was soft and lyrical, his singing light and unadorned. With his looks he became an idol, the face of West Coast jazz. His album Chet Baker Sings (1954) became a classic. Baker became addicted to heroin, went to prison and lived for a long time in Europe. In 1988 he died after a fall from a hotel window in Amsterdam, where a plaque at the hotel commemorates him.
Listening
Listening tip. Listen to the soft, almost whispering sound of trumpet and voice.
My Funny Valentine · Gerry Mulligan, 1952
But Not for Me · Chet Baker, 1954
Almost Blue (live) · Chet Baker, 1987
My Funny Valentine · Chet Baker, 1954
Discography
Studio albums
- 1953Chet Baker Quartet featuring Russ Freeman
- 1954Chet Baker & Strings
- 1954Chet Baker Sings
- 1955Gerry Mulligan Quartet
- 1955Sings and Plays With Bud Shank, Russ Freeman and Strings
- 1955The Trumpet Artistry of Chet Baker
- 1956Playboys
- 1957Quartet: Russ Freeman Chet Baker
- 1958Chet Baker in New York
- 1958It Could Happen to You: Chet Baker Sings
- 1959Chet
- 1962Chet Is Back!
- 1964The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65
- 1965Baby Breeze
- 1965Baker’s Holiday
- 1966A Taste of Tequila
- 1966Double Shot
- 1966Hats Off
- 1966In The Mood
- 1966Quietly There
- 1968Swings Pretty
- 1969Albert's House
- 1970Blood, Chet and Tears
- 1974She Was Too Good To Me
- 1977You Can’t Go Home Again
- 1979All Blues
- 1979Ballads for Two
- 1979Tender Variations - Original Soundtrack aus dem Film "Der Windhund" (soundtrack)
- 1980Chet Baker & Wolfgang Lackerschmid
- 1980Leaving
- 1980Soft Journey: Chet Baker Meets Enrico Pieranunzi
- 1980The Touch of Your Lips
- 1981"Broken Wing"
- 1982Peace
- 1982Studio Trieste
- 1983Crystal Bells
- 1983Everything Happens to Me
- 1984Mister B.
- 1984Once Upon a Summertime
- 1985Candy
- 1985Diane
- 1985Strollin'
- 1986Chet Baker Sings Again
- 1987Love Song
- 1988Blåmann! Blåmann!
- 1988Little Girl Blue
- 1988The Heart of the Ballad
- 1989Chet Baker Sings and Plays From the Film “Let’s Get Lost” (soundtrack)
- 1989Chet On Poetry
- 1989Cool Cat
- 1989Rique Pantoja & Chet Baker
- 1989Silence
- 1989Stella by Starlight
- 1989The Best Thing for You
- 1989The Route
- 1990"The Pacific Years" 1952-1957
- 1990As Time Goes By
- 1990Chet Baker Introduces Johnny Pace
- 1991Chet Baker - Steve Houben
- 1991Chet Baker & The Boto Brasilian Quartet
- 1991Chet Baker With Fifty Italian Strings
- 1991Chet Baker with Strings / Heartbreak
- 1991Goodbye, Chet
- 1991Two a Day
- 1991Witch Doctor
- 1992Grey December
- 1992L.A. Get-Together!
- 1993Chet Baker Quartet featuring Russ Freeman
- 1993Chet Baker Big Band
- 1993Chet Baker in Europe
- 1993Gerry Mulligan Quartet & Chubby Jackson Big Band
- 1993The Incredible Chet Baker Plays and Sings Recorded in 1977
- 1995Autumn in New York
- 1995Embraceable You
- 1995Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker
- 1995Welcome Back
- 1996At Capolinea
- 1996Nightbird
- 1996Stan Meets Chet
- 1997Chet Baker - The Jazz Masters
- 1997Jazz Profile
- 1997White Blues
- 1998'Round Midnight
- 1998Hazy Hugs
- 1998Once Upon a Summertime
- 1999I Remember You
- 1999I Remember...
- 2001A Man Who Used To Be
- 2002I Grandi Del Jazz - Chet Baker - Jazz Round Midnight
- 2002Portrait
- 2002Sentimental Walk in Paris
- 2003But not For Me
- 2003Le Prince De La Ballade
- 2003Nights At The Turntable
- 2003Oh You Crazy Moon
- 2003Quartet Featuring Dick Twardzik
- 2004Chet Baker - Sings Again Vol. 2
- 2004Chet Baker Sings And Plays (Remastered 2004)
- 2004Swing House
- 2005Night Birds & Broken Wings
- 2006Riverside Profiles
- 2007Let's Get Lost - Cool and Iconic Sides
- 2008Chet in Chicago
- 2009Chet Baker's Finest
- 2010Telemark Blue
- 2010The Complete Chet Baker
- 2010The Sesjun Radio Shows
- 2011Blue Thoughts
- 2012Chet Baker in Paris: The Complete Original Recordings
- 2013Baker's Holiday
- 2013Early Chet (Chet Baker in Germany 1955–1959)
- 2016Alone Together
- 2016The Music of Bob Zieff: His Compositions & Arrangements
- 2017At Onkel Pö's Carnegie Hall Hamburg 1979
- 2017Embraceable You
- 2018Ballads for Two
- 2018Early Chet (Chet Baker In Germany 1955-1959)
- 2018Original Jazz Recordings
- 2018Sextet & Quartet
- 2019In Paris: 1955-56 (Remastered)
- 2019In Paris:1955-56 Vol. 2 (remastered)
- 2022A Lonely Winter
- 2024Essential Classics, Vol. 284: Chet Baker
- 2024In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album
- 2025Chet Baker Performs and Sings Swimming by Moonlight (soundtrack)
- ?Chet and Me
- ?Chet Baker Quartet featuring Russ Freeman
- ?Italian Movies: Music by Piero Umiliani
- ?On a Misty Night
- ?Sounds Of The City
Other work
- 1987–1988Let's Get Lost
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Jazz MapNL Map
- Mixtape 5: Jazz FestivalNL Reader
- After Hours: Session 2NL Reader
- After Hours: Session 4NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- West Coast jazz Genre
In 1952 in Los Angeles, Gerry Mulligan started a quartet without piano with Chet Baker, so that baritone saxophone and trumpet play in counterpoint.