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Chet Baker
Chesney Henry Baker Jr. 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".
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entertainment · American jazz trumpeter and vocalist (1929–1988) · singer · trumpeter · composer · jazz musician · bandleader · also Chet Baker, Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr., Baker Jr., Chesney Henry Baker, Jr., Chep, Pop
Born 23 December 1929 · Died 13 May 1988 · Q2274
149 published statements · 0 followers
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I listened to a lot of jazz and I was a big fan of ... the way he sang, when he moved into mainstream singing. He had this really fragile vocal style—this really, broken, close-up, and intimate style. The name is kind of just an ode to Chet Baker and the mood of music he used to play—something I would like to at least pay homage to in my own music.
2026· 12 entries
Published video “Margerine”.
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Jazz Journal: Reviewed: Chet Baker | Liz Cracchiolo | Miles Davis
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Published video “Beatrice (Live in Bruxelles, November 1979)”.
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Published video “Sweet Martine (Live in Bruxelles, November 1979)”.
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Published video “This Is Always (Live in Bruxelles, November 1979)”.
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Published video “I'm A Fool To Want You (Live in Tokyo, June 1987)”.
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Published video “Once I Loved (Live in Bruxelles, November 1979)”.
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Published video “Deep In A Dream (Live in Bruxelles, November 1979)”.
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Published video “My Funny Valentine (Live in Tokyo, June 1987)”.
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Published video “Almost Like Being In Love”.
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Published video “I fall in love too easily”.
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2025· 1 entry
ecoustics: Chet Baker’s Late Night Jazz and Bill Evans In Norway: New Vinyl Reviewed
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2023· 2 entries
“I listened to a lot of jazz and I was a big fan of ... the way he sang, when he moved into mainstream singing. He had this really fragile vocal style—this really, broken, close-up, and intimate style. The name is kind of just an ode to Chet Baker and the mood of music he used to play—something I would like to at least pay homage to in my own music.”
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Rolling Stone ranked Baker at number 116 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time
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2020· 1 entry
Jazz: Chet Baker: Chet
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2015· 1 entry
Il Tempo: Musica e parole nel «segreto di Chet Baker»
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2007· 1 entry
Vulture: Bruce Weber and Chet Baker: Both Cooler Than You
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2004· 2 entries
Released album “Chet Baker Sings And Plays (Remastered 2004)”.
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Released album “Chet Baker - Sings Again Vol. 2”.
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2003· 6 entries
Released album “Oh You Crazy Moon”.
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Jazz: Chet Baker: My Funny Valentine
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Released album “But not For Me”.
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Released album “Quartet Featuring Dick Twardzik”.
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Released album “Nights At The Turntable”.
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Released album “Le Prince De La Ballade”.
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2002· 3 entries
Released album “Sentimental Walk in Paris”.
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Released album “I Grandi Del Jazz - Chet Baker - Jazz Round Midnight”.
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Released album “Portrait”.
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2001· 1 entry
Released album “A Man Who Used To Be”.
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1999· 2 entries
Released album “I Remember...”.
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Released album “I Remember You”.
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1998· 3 entries
Released album “Once Upon a Summertime”.
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Released album “'Round Midnight”.
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Released album “Hazy Hugs”.
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1997· 4 entries
Released album “Jazz Profile”.
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Carol Baker published and wrote an introduction to his "lost memoirs," taped around 1978, under the title As Though I Had Wings
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Released album “Chet Baker - The Jazz Masters”.
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Released album “White Blues”.
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1996· 3 entries
Released album “Nightbird”.
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Released album “Stan Meets Chet”.
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Released album “At Capolinea”.
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1995· 4 entries
Released album “Welcome Back”.
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Released album “Autumn in New York”.
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Released album “Embraceable You”.
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Released album “Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker”.
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1993· 5 entries
Released album “Gerry Mulligan Quartet & Chubby Jackson Big Band”.
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Released album “Chet Baker Big Band”.
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Released album “Chet Baker”.
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Released album “Chet Baker in Europe”.
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Released album “The Incredible Chet Baker Plays and Sings Recorded in 1977”.
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1992· 3 entries
Released album “The Best of Chet Baker Plays”.
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Released album “L.A. Get-Together!”.
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Released album “Grey December”.
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1991· 7 entries
Released album “Chet Baker With Fifty Italian Strings”.
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Released album “Chet Baker & The Boto Brasilian Quartet”.
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Released album “Goodbye, Chet”.
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Released album “Chet Baker - Steve Houben”.
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Released album “Two a Day”.
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Released album “Witch Doctor”.
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Released album “Chet Baker with Strings / Heartbreak”.
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1990· 4 entries
Released album “As Time Goes By”.
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Released album “The Italian Sessions”.
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Released album “Chet Baker Introduces Johnny Pace”.
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Released album “"The Pacific Years" 1952-1957”.
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1989· 8 entries
Released album “The Route”.
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Released album “Rique Pantoja & Chet Baker”.
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Released album “Chet On Poetry”.
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Released album “Silence”.
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Released album “Stella by Starlight”.
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Released album “Cool Cat”.
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Released album “Chet Baker live in Rosenheim”.
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Released album “The Best Thing for You”.
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1988· 5 entries
Baker was found dead on the street below his room in Hotel Prins Hendrik, Amsterdam, with serious wounds to his head, apparently having fallen from the second-story window
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Died 1988-05-13.
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Released album “Little Girl Blue”.
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Released album “The Heart of the Ballad”.
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Released album “Blåmann! Blåmann!”.
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1987· 1 entry
Released album “Love Song”.
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1986· 2 entries
Released album “Chet Baker Sings Again”.
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Chet Baker: Live at Ronnie Scott's London presented Baker in an intimate stage performance filmed with Elvis Costello and Van Morrison as he performed a set of standards and classics, including "Just Friends", "My Ideal"
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1985· 5 entries
Released album “Strollin'”.
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Released album “Candy”.
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Chet dedicated his 1985 album Diane to Vavra, covering the familiar jazz standard "Diane." For a time, Vavra took refuge at a women's shelter due to Baker's behavior.
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Five years after meeting Brazilian pianist/composer Rique Pantoja in a club in Paris, Baker was invited by Pantoja to perform at the Free Jazz Festival in Rio de Janeiro
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Released album “Diane”.
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1984· 1 entry
Released album “Mister B.”.
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1983· 3 entries
Released album “Crystal Bells”.
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British singer Elvis Costello, a longtime fan of Baker, hired the trumpeter to play a solo on his song "Shipbuilding" for the album Punch the Clock
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Released album “Everything Happens to Me”.
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1982· 2 entries
Released album “Studio Trieste”.
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Released album “Peace”.
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1981· 1 entry
Released album “"Broken Wing"”.
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1980· 5 entries
Released album “Chet Baker & Wolfgang Lackerschmid”.
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Referred to his life as "1/3 in a car, 1/3 sleeping, and 1/3 playing music
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Released album “Soft Journey: Chet Baker Meets Enrico Pieranunzi”.
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Released album “The Touch of Your Lips”.
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Released album “Leaving”.
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1979· 3 entries
Released album “All Blues”.
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Baker made 11 records; the following year, he made 10
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Released album “Ballads for Two”.
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1977· 3 entries
Baker recorded Once Upon a Summertime and You Can't Go Home Again
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Released album “You Can’t Go Home Again”.
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Together, they recorded two duets, "Autumn Leaves" and "Whatever Possessed Me," for the 1977 album The Incredible Chet Baker Plays and Sings.
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1974· 2 entries
Released album “She Was Too Good To Me”.
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The India Navigation label released a live album of performances with saxophonist Lee Konitz
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1973· 2 entries
Baker began a relationship with Ruth Young, a jazz singer
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Baker attempted a comeback
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1971· 1 entry
1972, and 1975, Baker was arrested for drunk driving
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1970· 3 entries
Released album “Blood, Chet and Tears”.
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Baker met jazz drummer Diane Vavra
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Baker released Blood, Chet and Tears
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1969· 2 entries
Released album “Albert's House”.
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Released Albert's House, which features 11 compositions by Steve Allen, who organized the recording date to help Baker restart his career
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1968· 1 entry
Released album “Swings Pretty”.
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1966· 5 entries
Released album “Hats Off”.
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Released album “In The Mood”.
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Released album “A Taste of Tequila”.
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Released album “Double Shot”.
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Released album “Quietly There”.
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1965· 2 entries
Released album “Baby Breeze”.
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Released album “Baker’s Holiday”.
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1964· 4 entries
Baker returned to the United States, and Halema was able to serve Baker divorce papers
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Released The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65 on Colpix Records, and in 1965 he released Baby Breeze on Limelight
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And they had two more children, Paul in 1965 and Melissa ("Missy") in 1966
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Released album “The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65”.
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1962· 2 entries
Released album “Chet Is Back!”.
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After his Italian prison sentence, was Chet Is Back
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1959· 2 entries
Released album “Chet”.
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Released album “Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner & Loewe”.
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1958· 3 entries
Released album “Chet Baker in New York”.
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Released album “It Could Happen to You: Chet Baker Sings”.
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Baker rejoined with Stan Getz for Stan Meets Chet
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1957· 1 entry
Released album “Quartet: Russ Freeman Chet Baker”.
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1956· 1 entry
Released album “Playboys”.
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1955· 3 entries
Released album “Sings and Plays With Bud Shank, Russ Freeman and Strings”.
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Released album “The Trumpet Artistry of Chet Baker”.
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Released album “Gerry Mulligan Quartet”.
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1954· 5 entries
Released album “Chet Baker & Strings”.
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Despite remaining married to Charlaine, he publicly dated French jazz club-goer Lili Cukier (later known as actress Liliane Rovère) for two years, introducing her to others as his wife
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Readers named Baker the top jazz vocalist
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Pacific Jazz Records released Chet Baker Sings, an album that both increased his visibility and drew criticism
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Released album “Chet Baker Sings”.
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1953· 1 entry
Released album “Chet Baker Quartet featuring Russ Freeman”.
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1952· 1 entry
Baker joined the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and attracted considerable attention
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1951· 1 entry
And proceeded to pursue a career in music
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1948· 1 entry
Studied music theory and harmony at El Camino College in Los Angeles
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1940· 1 entry
When Baker was 10, his family relocated to Glendale, California
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1929· 1 entry
Born 1929-12-23.
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