Chet baker biography chesney

Born Chesney H. Baker, December 23, 1929, in Yale, OK; died due to injuries from a fall, May 13, 1988, in Amsterdam, Holland; married three times. Education: Took courses at El Camino College, late 1940s.

Military/Wartime Service: U.S. Army, 1946-48.

Periodically earning critical acclaim during a career made erratic by drug addiction and other personal problems, Chet Baker was a key force behind the "cool jazz" movement that originated on the West Coast and gained popularity in the 1950s.

Chet baker pictures

Baker "produced solos with an introspective beauty that epitomized the sensibilities of the 'cool' school," according to Len Lyons and Don Perlo in Jazz Portraits. He established his reputation first as a trumpeter playing with Gerry Mulligan's quartet, then as an instrumentalist and singer with his own combos.

His movie-star good looks, similar to those of 1950s screen idol James Dean, helped ensure his popularity and made him a symbol of the cool jazz movement.

Baker played totally by ear a