Chet Baker

thumb|right|Baker in 1983 Chet Baker 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". Baker received critical praise in the 1950s, as a member of the quartet he co-led with Gerry Mulligan, and albums featuring his vocals: Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958). Jazz writer and musician Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one". His drug habit affected his career, he was intermittently imprisoned for narcotic offences, but had a career resurgence in the late 1970s and 1980s. Quotes about Chet Baker 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 [west] coast who's going to eat you up." Geoffrey Smith BBC Music (March 19, 2024) External links Category:1929 births Category:1988 deaths Category:Trumpeters Category:Jazz musicians Category:Jazz singers Category:Singers from the United States Category:People from Oklahoma