Description
Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was born in Yale, Oklahoma. A trumpet player, Baker was an important part of the West coast “cool jazz” school of the 1950s – Chet Baker “Live In Chateauvallon 1978” LP Vinyl stamped that distinction. He first came to prominence in the jazz world as part of the pianoless Gerry Mulligan Quartet — Mulligan had played with Miles Davis, whose Birth of the Cool is recognized as ushering in the movement.
Baker’s trumpet playing is characterized by incredibly sweet tones, clear and almost vibrato-less. He was also a vocalist, and his vocal stylings matched his trumpet-playing in terms of style and feeling, with an emphasis on clarity and gentleness of expression, rather than vibrato or vocal pyrotechnics.
