An unbelievable talent. One of the most natural jazz players to ever pick up a horn. Thankfully we have recordings and films like this to remember just how great he was. He died far to young.
I, too, fell madly in love with Chet Baker, and still fall over and over again every time I listen. His sound resonates down to our souls, sometimes bringing us to tears.
Oh God...there is no telling how much we miss him. My late wife and I traveled from Santa Barbara to LA just to hear him . it was in the late 1950,s. The LA sound will never go away...We miss you Chet
Yes, Chet was known for his "West Coast Jazz" style and blues, which he could both play and sing with his very sensual and touching style. Sad to lose him too soon.
Chet's music has always deeply appealed to me, his soft bluesy sound touches my soul. Yes, Chet had his drug problems, he got clean for 7 yeas and relapsed, but he simply would not have "jumped" -- he loved music too much, and he loved the Netherlands, Amsterdam, he seemed to feel more appreciated in Europe than in America. Chet was known for "West Coast jazz" and cool blues. Drugs were a heavy part of the jazz and music scene in the 50's-60's, still is with some performers. We will never know what really happened, suppositions are just that, unknown, but Chet's inimitable talent is missed and thankfully we have his recordings and with these, he will be with us forever. He truly was one of the greats, gone too soon. RIP, Chet, we miss you.
@Simon McCreath I agree with you 100%! It simply was NOT like Chet to jump. I think he got a bit high after work, was sitting in the window to cool off, maybe had some drugs, it is said he had relapsed and was using heroin again, so maybe he used, or somehow, lost his balance and fell. A fall on cement from two or three stories probably caused sufficient head trauma and at that time of the morning, no on was around to save him and he died. Sad, yes. But suicide? Very doubtful. Autopsy did show some drugs in his system, but none in a lethal amount.
Whenever I feel sad or lonely, I play Chet's music. He lullabys my heart, my melancholic mood doesn't feel like hurting me so badly. I enjoy and respect your playing such beautiful music. I hear your saxophone, and don't feel so "forgotten by the world" Thank you, and R.I.P.
I was introduced to Chet Baker through GTA 4, which included his "Let's Get Lost" song on the in-game radio, I never got tired listening to it. I've recently been listening to a lot of his stuff. His style is timeless. Rest up, Chet.
Good documentary, I like how it focuses more on the music, which is what it's really all about. Good tribute on one of the saddest and most tragic talents in Jazz.
Much appreciated. My memories of Chet come from an old Parisian friend in my youth. He loved him and Gerry Mulligan, and big Dexter Gordon. Seemed in France they loved Jazz much more than we did in London.
My brother Dave Mackay did a Europe trip on piano and found Chet not only played great but helped him get around through out the trip. Dave was blind. Don Mackay
This has completely opened my eyes. I feel different when i listen to his music now. Almost Blue almost induces tears. Amazing trumpeter. Such a balanced, soothing, even tone no matter what he played.
He was my mentor....I met him when we both attended El Camino College, in South LA..he taught me everything I know about music and got me my first gig with Shelly Manne, at a spot in North Hollywood. I gave up playing music the day I heard of his death back in 1988...and have not played since. I miss his playing more and more each day.
Reading your comment while sad walk was playing...made me completely understand how you must feel. I miss him too and I'm only 24 haha. It's amazing that he was your mentor! Musta been a real treat!
I do get it but it's a shame you gave up playing. I hope one day youll pick it up again. Music is lifes soul. Through his dark days and addiction it seems like he never lost it and if anything fought to keep it. (teaching himself to play with flase teeth even) of course I didn't know him but I can take a wild guess and imagine he wouldnt want his death to end the music for anyone, I think he'd want the opposite. :) best wishes.
It's a bit more complicated than you think...I had to walk away from everything that contrbuted to the lifestyle..I also had become a drug and alchohol addict...happily the distance has been working for me for almost 30 years!!!!!!
Forgive me, I didn't know. As a recovered addict myself for the last 15 years, I completely understand. Continue on your path my friend, peace and blessings to you.
I met Chet in Manhattan in '81. He was playing at Fat Tuesdays and we chatted during a break. He was very congenial and sounded and sang with beautiful phrasing. Bud Shank and Hal Galper came and joined in during the last set. Michel Legrand entered with his group and listened in. It was a wonderful night of Jazz.
I played the trumpet as a young girl and loved the horn. Chet Baker was always at the top of my list of greatest trumpeters of jazz. I love, love, love the California Cool Jazz sound, and I loved his singing as well, he sounds like a cross between his horn and a voice in his early recordings. You feel the sadness of his soul in everything he did, deep and real. The haunting beauty of highly sensitive being. He is to the trumpet for me, what Bill Evans was to the piano. The space between the notes means as much, and sometimes more than the notes themselves. There is something about his playing that touches the soul of the listener in a way that many musicians try to acheive. Chet Baker suceeded.
I'll refrain from laying a moral judgement on Baker. All I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed his trumpet playing. He was the king of cool. I listened to him as a young man in the late 50's not knowing his penchant for drugs and not giving a huge damn. He was very unique.
Every time i was ever left behind or had fallen in or out of love, the lingering sadness was always accompanied by one of his tunes. At times i still feel that hollow feeling listening to him play.
Chet Bakers artistry is far ahead of his time, as well as a fantastic cool trumpet player he possesses a unique enchanting beautiful voice i never heard before. Chet Baker a true great artist of jazz.
So true! And beautifully said, Jim! I have several favorite trumpet players and love all of them, but Chet had a way of making that horn of his so somber, sensual and soul-grabbing, unlike anyone else I've heard. Especially in his ballads far more than the jazz numbers. Technically, he wasn't the best horn player in the world, I think Al Hirt probably was and there are several others that are up there in status that compare. But Chet had something very special in his sound, it was to-the-bottom-of-your soul-grabbing! Chet made you could feel it probably almost as deep as he did!
@@reggaefan2700 Of course! Bill worked with Chet and other artists, was an accomplished pianist and composer, but who also had a problem with heroin and cocaine, which probably exacerbated his health problems and he died early at about age 51. Sometimes, when I hear about these musicians who die young, I ask WHY? But I know. Still, it doesn't make it any easier to accept.
Today is 11 24 2020 and I just rolled up on this on RUclips Chet Baker was awesome I never knew the whole back story I knew he did some drugs but wow what an amazing talent the man really had an ear for music beautiful absolutely beautiful I could listen to him all day and I have been he's at rest now now he can rest for a bit he left a beautiful Legacy of Music behind awesome I'm glad we all get to enjoy it that's sweet 😊😊😊😊
Je ne veux juste pas que ça finisse... merci merci de ce magnifique documentaire. I just don't want it to end... thanks a million for this marvelous documentary.
The fact that he didn’t know theory. It was all by ear. That’s mind blowing. Must have imitated the masters until he absorbed enough to create his own language. . And he sure sounds like he knows theory. Unreal
@@geoffreynelsonjr THAT book is just O K; THEE book about Chet to read is "Chet Baker The Missing Years" by Artt Frank, which is FAR superior to Gavin's book.
More lies about Chet. He took music classes when he was young, knew some, theory, studied music in college for awhile also. He could read music but chose not to. He played in the U S Army band for like a year. You HAVE to be able to read music in order to be in THAT band.
Yes, this video is much more sympathetic and positive than the film Let's Get Lost. Thanks for posting! For anyone interested in further perspective on Chet's life I recommend his aoutobiography, "As Though I Had Wings" (St. Martin's Press).
I heard him, briefly, in Paris during 1963. The club was, to the best of my memory, called the Fishing Cat. Chet was playing flugelhorn. The group was a trio, trombone and drums plus Chet. One tune was played after which the drummer left. Chet and the trombone player did a tune. Chet kept time during the trombone solo by playing a piano stool with brushes. The trombone man left, Chet soon followed. I finished my beer and split.
Chet was tonally so smooth, a real genius. Alcohol played a big part in his glory and downfall, a flawed genius is ever there was one. His collaberations with Elvis Costello in his rendition of "Almost Blue" and "Shipbuilding" are so smooth and a must listen for novice Chet Baker fans.
thanks for this important video. the photo of him lying on the pavement was very hard to look at and so sad. he was a very special gift to all of us and a great artist. i was lucky enough to see him in the early eighties in san francisco. ill never forget his sound. when i walked into the club i was stunned. nobody had a sound like his, it was gorgeous. an experience i will never forget. he is truly missed!
I only saw him one time and my experience is quoted in the new Jeroen De Valk biography of him in a paragraph on page 126. I bought the book and had no idea I am quoted in it.
Lesson to be learned. Don't nod off while sirtting next to an open window. Especially four floors up. What a sad end. His music /spirit lives on. "Thought he could fly", pleeeeez!!!!
He was two floors up "dizzy." But whatever, it's very, very doubtful he "thought he could fly." Don't light-weight the use of drugs and their consequences, pleeeeez!!!
Exactly what I said, apart from the number of floors.And Idefinately don't make light of it, I just think he sadly 'nodded' off while sitting next to an open window. His drug of choice would not cause the delusion that he could fly, unlike, say, LSD. Such a sad way to go. I play the horn, and lOve Chets work.
I saw him at The Fisherman club in San Francisco in 1949. Shifty Henry was on bass but I don't remember much else about it except that when I woke up I was in LA.
This is good but in no way is it better than Let's Get Lost. That is truly a beautifully shot, beautifully executed and masterfully arranged piece of work.
Keeping it real, great story on his live, he could play, drugs really played a part in his life and other artist will tell you. tragic ending to his life.
The jazz greats felt that you could "hear" better behind junk - that it slowed time down. And the elite formed a gang - no junk, no entry because you are not a SERIOUS player.
No, not everyone can just stop, but there IS HELP out there to get off drugs if they will just ask for it BUT, the person needs to change whatever made them want to use drugs in the first place or they WILL RELAPSE! Addiction is BOTH mental and physical. For example, Chet was clean and off drugs for 7 years. What made him REALLY relapse is only really known to him. Drugs have killed so many people and will kill more. Very sad. Some of it just ignorance about what drugs can do, but TODAY, there is no excuse for not knowing, there's information everywhere about it. Being unhappy in your life, peer pressure, curiosity, many things can begin drug use and it's VERY difficult to end drug use once you are addicted. Don't bow to peer pressure, there is no excuse for curiosity anymore with all the info out there, and if you are unhappy, ask for help, there's lots of it out there and even without money to pay for it, you can get help today. Best is to never start drugs but if you have a legitimate reason like surgery or traumatic injury, pain WILL subside as you heal and you can wean yourself off the drugs as you need them less. There are many surgical procedures to control continuing pain causes today, if needed, and unless someone has cancer and is terminal (going to die), there is usually no reason to continue on drugs today.
Honestly, Chet was just fine when he was getting prescriptions of pharmaceutical heroin and cocaine from Lady Isabella Frankau in the 60s. Most of the problems associated with drug addiction are actually created by prohibition. Just look at addicts on Switzerland's heroin provision program. Most of them live steady normal lives. The UK itself only started getting problems with heroin when doctors stopped prescribing in the late 60s.
hilarious listening to straight edge people explain their assumptions of a drug experience 'FELT HE COULD FLY' fuckinghell man never heard that one before
I actually got to meet Chet Baker in Paris just a week or so before he died. I was on a European tour with my client Anita O'Day and he came to see her at the New Morning Club. We walked past him on our way in and he approached Anita, but she didn't recognize him at first. His face was haggard, he had no teeth, and his clothes were dirty. But something clicked and she suddenly realized who he was and gave him a huge hug. We moved on to other cities and were still on the tour when we heard he had fallen (or been pushed) out of a window. Some people think he may have owed money to a dealer.
Alan Eichler I can’t accept the theory that a drug dealer pushed Chet out a window that caused his death. Too many have looked down on him with disrespect because of his drug addiction. I dislike drug addicts. But I try to put his addiction aside. Because Chet Baker was a great musician with great talent. A true musical genius. His music touches my soul.
@@beverlymcnamara9483 your very shallow then aren't you. So you think as long as you a musician with talent it's OK to take drugs but not for a bin man or a plumber
Word from the musicians who were with him at the hotel that night is that he was talking to a girl, went upstairs to get cigarettes or whatever. Was locked out of his room, so he tried to climb in thru the window of the room next to his. Lost footing and fell
I think that's not right. If you take a look at 3:50min you can see that there's no balcony at all. Just the windows and the walls of the hotel. He couldn't have climbed that sober, imagine intoxicated.But you never know.
I could believe that. In his biography Deep in a Dream by James Gavin (highly recommend if you have a morbid sense of curiosity about Chet, as I do) it describes when he was desperate for money after his fame in America began to wane and learned how to scale walls and break into homes through the windows. Also, I don’t think Chet would have willing killed himself - he was a coward. He was too scared. His choice to continually use hard drugs despite the trail of destruction it caused throughout his whole life points to an incredibly sad, scared man who couldn’t face life of death. Such a tragic figure in jazz, but I find his music touches a place so deep in the heart. A true martyr of post-war America, also an over praised, spoiled narcissist.
I just love how people say "He did it to himself". He was an addict....if you haven't suffered from addiction, try not to judge people. If you are an addict and you're judging him, you forget who you are. Like my sister and myself...we both suffered from addiction, I'm still alive and my baby sister is not. A tragedy...
Levi Paladin I think we judge people through ignorance and sometimes to make ourselves feel better than others. Addiction is a cruel disease...robbed me and my family of so much.
He is almost childlike in his trust in and dependence on other people. This, I think is a part of what makes his playing so special. He has a child's ear for language both spoken and played.
The cop at around 4 mins has no clue about opiate addiction..."perhaps he thought he could fly" What an ignorant comment and doubly so by one who is supposed to protect people . End the drug war R.I.P. Chet .
Well. Obviously the cops saod some bullshit, but Chet in his own words grabbed everything he could get when can't reach the opiates... So. Almost unlikely, knowing it all, but possible to say not knowing it all
Hey, we all have our bad moments. Being a star puts you at the mercy of those who would exploit them. The most believable of the stories of his death I've heard is that, locked out of his hotel room and lacking a key, Baker fell to his death trying to free-climb to his room. What guy among us hasn't been in such an embarrassing situation? When Chet does a stupid move and fucks up it is turned by the Puritanical media into a morality play: musical genius betrays his talent due to drug addiction. Give me a break! Baker was playing in top form up to the day of his death. How about a few stories about the thousands of artists who lost everything to alcohol addiction?
To even suggest that Chet "thought he could fly" is perfectly inane! Chet knew WELL the effect drugs had on him and he was NOT reckless nor would he ever have thought he could fly! He did some reckless things when quite young but don't we all! He DID have cocaine and heroin in his blood stream at autopsy, but the most likely scenario is that he was just sitting on his window sill two stories up, relaxing, probably thinking about how he had just performed, he was probably tired, but he slipped and fell. The cement below probably caused a fatal head injury. Very sad. But Chet was NOT prone to irrational thinking like it is suggested. There are a dozen different stories of what people THINK happened to Chet, but it was thoroughly investigated and most of the stories are merely supposition.
I watch this Documentary and The pull.of Heroin Is always right there.Its been 5 years since ive touched the stuff and i Hate/ Love it ...However i see the waste of Life and how it Ruins Peoples.Subutex for now. ..R.I.P. Chet Baker Born To Be Blue
Except from the time around '55-'57 Chet Baker always looked like an addict and a homeless from that time on. But he seemed like a really sweet and kind person and of course a great, great musician.
Very nice film about Chet Baker the musician. Far superior to "Let's Get Lost," which completely missed Chet the musician. Indeed, almost that film's only virtue were the loving, and very perceptive comments of Jack Sheldon. In this film, I especially loved the segment with Red Mitchell, and the interviews with Philipe Catherine, Russ Freeman, and some of the other European musicians. I've read several Baker biographies, and this film gave me faces for many of the people around Chet in his later years.
That Red Mitchell introduction to My Romance was too sublime and lovely for words---- The blending of Gets and Chet in concert is simply perfection . .as if one soul playing the piece..
Excellent docu. He should have learned his lesson when his teeth were destroyed because of drugs. The bad thing with drugs is that they often lead to a stupid death. Too bad we lost him so soon. He had a power to express emotions by under-playing rather than doing the razzle-dazzle like so many trumpeters. No wonder women were mad about him. Wheter he was singing or playing he was unique and excellent. RIP Chet. I miss you.
My guess he sat on the window sill for a breath of fresh air, and perhaps to gaze out at the city at night, the lights, and eventually, as all heroin users will do, he nodded off. Unfortunately he did not fall back into room upon the floor at his feet. He went the wrong way and most likely did not suffer, thank goodness, but he left a legion of fans to mourn his untimely passing.
Too bad Chet was so creative when high. It must free up the mind. But more and more drugs takes it's toll and the body is damaged. It has done in many great artists. His sound and ideas just get into your soul and stir you. How beautiful!
I believe he fell. When I was deep into my addiction and when the gear was good and had a big one, then I could easily of fell out of a window. I would walk around in a dream like state, not knowing what I was really doing or thinking. Just high as fuck feeling good.
Actually, Irv Rochlin was a close friend of Chet's and had been hanging at Irv's pad in that time frame. Irv related to me that the windows of that hotel had some built in sort of barricade that would probably eliminate the possibility of jumping from a window.
I heard someone remind me of his climbing the cliffs in Malibu that he also climbed apartment buildings in California with Lee Morgan to burglarize and get dope money. A friend of mine on tour in Europe found him in the hotel hallway locked out of his room naked except for a sheet around him. In Amsterdam that night I think he locked his keys in the room and was trying to climb up to get through the window and then fell.
It explains the full needles of dope they found in room, he desperately needed his fix but he didnt want to get them to open the door for fear of arrest again.
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We have to say thanks to the people who take care of the memory of Baker in a nice way..
An unbelievable talent. One of the most natural jazz players to ever pick up a horn. Thankfully we have recordings and films like this to remember just how great he was. He died far to young.
We agree with you, Doug Skinner.
Maybe to young but he made it pretty far with his lifestyle.
I used to date a girl who couldn't sleep without hearing Chet Baker, he was her lullaby.
Ofcourse it’s like a drug greetings from Holland
Me too, I need to hear him to fall asleep every night.
Chetty's Lullaby, eh?
You should have married her!
And you married the one who was into Justin Bieber...Init?
I, too, fell madly in love with Chet Baker, and still fall over and over again every time I listen. His sound resonates down to our souls, sometimes bringing us to tears.
Oh God...there is no telling how much we miss him. My late wife and I traveled from Santa Barbara to LA just to hear him . it was in the late 1950,s. The LA sound will never go away...We miss you Chet
Глубокая благодарность авторам этого фильма о Любимом, Чете Бейкере , .... Его незабываемых небесных импровизациях, ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ !!!!
Yes, Chet was known for his "West Coast Jazz" style and blues, which he could both play and sing with his very sensual and touching style. Sad to lose him too soon.
Yes, "West-Coast Jazz" style belonged to Chet, all over the world! He was inimitable!
@wildcardartist did you meet him?
Playing his CD now. My best friend also died in 1988. We both loved Chet's music. RIP both.
Chet's music has always deeply appealed to me, his soft bluesy sound touches my soul. Yes, Chet had his drug problems, he got clean for 7 yeas and relapsed, but he simply would not have "jumped" -- he loved music too much, and he loved the Netherlands, Amsterdam, he seemed to feel more appreciated in Europe than in America. Chet was known for "West Coast jazz" and cool blues. Drugs were a heavy part of the jazz and music scene in the 50's-60's, still is with some performers. We will never know what really happened, suppositions are just that, unknown, but Chet's inimitable talent is missed and thankfully we have his recordings and with these, he will be with us forever. He truly was one of the greats, gone too soon. RIP, Chet, we miss you.
@Simon McCreath I agree with you 100%! It simply was NOT like Chet to jump. I think he got a bit high after work, was sitting in the window to cool off, maybe had some drugs, it is said he had relapsed and was using heroin again, so maybe he used, or somehow, lost his balance and fell. A fall on cement from two or three stories probably caused sufficient head trauma and at that time of the morning, no on was around to save him and he died. Sad, yes. But suicide? Very doubtful. Autopsy did show some drugs in his system, but none in a lethal amount.
Well Stated.
@@shawnbruce6934 Thanks! This session in Milan is one of my favorites, the orchestra just intensifies Chet's sensual sound!
Yes, he most likely fell. He may have blacked out or fallen asleep on the window ledge.
Absolutely agree!
Whenever I feel sad or lonely, I play Chet's music. He lullabys my heart, my melancholic mood doesn't feel like hurting me so badly. I enjoy and respect your playing such beautiful music. I hear your saxophone, and don't feel so "forgotten by the world"
Thank you, and R.I.P.
I was introduced to Chet Baker through GTA 4, which included his "Let's Get Lost" song on the in-game radio, I never got tired listening to it. I've recently been listening to a lot of his stuff. His style is timeless. Rest up, Chet.
Good documentary, I like how it focuses more on the music, which is what it's really all about. Good tribute on one of the saddest and most tragic talents in Jazz.
Much appreciated. My memories of Chet come from an old Parisian friend in my youth. He loved him and Gerry Mulligan, and big Dexter Gordon. Seemed in France they loved Jazz much more than we did in London.
Thanks Ty for posting. Those of us who are Chet Baker fans appreciate the completeness and honesty of this posting.
+Nolan Shaheed Thanks Nolan. I knew you'd love this video. Ty
My brother Dave Mackay did a Europe trip on piano and found Chet not only played great but helped him get around through out the trip. Dave was blind. Don Mackay
This has completely opened my eyes. I feel different when i listen to his music now. Almost Blue almost induces tears. Amazing trumpeter. Such a balanced, soothing, even tone no matter what he played.
He was my mentor....I met him when we both attended El Camino College, in South LA..he taught me everything I know about music and got me my first gig with Shelly Manne, at a spot in North Hollywood. I gave up playing music the day I heard of his death back in 1988...and have not played since. I miss his playing more and more each day.
Reading your comment while sad walk was playing...made me completely understand how you must feel. I miss him too and I'm only 24 haha. It's amazing that he was your mentor! Musta been a real treat!
I do get it but it's a shame you gave up playing. I hope one day youll pick it up again. Music is lifes soul. Through his dark days and addiction it seems like he never lost it and if anything fought to keep it. (teaching himself to play with flase teeth even) of course I didn't know him but I can take a wild guess and imagine he wouldnt want his death to end the music for anyone, I think he'd want the opposite. :) best wishes.
Why in the world would you quit? You have dishonored your mentor by giving up the love he gave you. If it's not too late, play again.
It's a bit more complicated than you think...I had to walk away from everything that contrbuted to the lifestyle..I also had become a drug and alchohol addict...happily the distance has been working for me for almost 30 years!!!!!!
Forgive me, I didn't know. As a recovered addict myself for the last 15 years, I completely understand. Continue on your path my friend, peace and blessings to you.
Listen to Chet every night, helps me get to sleep.
This is indeed a very important documentary . Very factual . Very well done . It deserves a very wide audience ....
I met Chet in Manhattan in '81. He was playing at Fat Tuesdays and we chatted during a break. He was very congenial and sounded and sang with beautiful phrasing. Bud Shank and Hal Galper came and joined in during the last set. Michel Legrand entered with his group and listened in. It was a wonderful night of Jazz.
thank you so much for uploading this! 🙏🍀
Lets Get Lost was a fantastic video - one of my favourite Jazz DVDs.
Fantastic documentary!
I played the trumpet as a young girl and loved the horn. Chet Baker was always at the top of my list of greatest trumpeters of jazz. I love, love, love the California Cool Jazz sound, and I loved his singing as well, he sounds like a cross between his horn and a voice in his early recordings. You feel the sadness of his soul in everything he did, deep and real. The haunting beauty of highly sensitive being. He is to the trumpet for me, what Bill Evans was to the piano. The space between the notes means as much, and sometimes more than the notes themselves. There is something about his playing that touches the soul of the listener in a way that many musicians try to acheive. Chet Baker suceeded.
Beautifully put...
Thank you for the video. we all miss you dear Chet Baker, genius........
To an addict, the drug becomes your lover, mistress, wife. Its the most important relationship in your life.
Fantastic ! Thanks for posting. An awesome video about one of the true greats of Jazz.
I'll refrain from laying a moral judgement on Baker. All I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed his trumpet playing. He was the king of cool. I listened to him as a young man in the late 50's not knowing his penchant for drugs and not giving a huge damn. He was very unique.
Fantastic documentary on my favourite jazz-man, Chet Baker! Thank you!
Every time i was ever left behind or had fallen in or out of love, the lingering sadness was always accompanied by one of his tunes. At times i still feel that hollow feeling listening to him play.
Incredible; thanks for posting. Never seen this before. But an appreciator of Chet Baker for a long time.
I looked this documentary with interest. Love the interpretations of Chet a lot. Thanks for the music, Chet!
Thanks Chet ,we have great time playing hes music ,. thanks Chet , you made and still giving nice music and better days for us.
Chet Bakers artistry is far ahead of his time, as well as a fantastic cool trumpet player he possesses a unique enchanting beautiful voice i never heard before. Chet Baker a true great artist of jazz.
Браво Чет!!!!!
His voice never match his trumpet playing.
Nobody but Chet can play only the root, 3rd, and 5th of a chord and make it sound like angels weeping.
Amen
So true! And beautifully said, Jim! I have several favorite trumpet players and love all of them, but Chet had a way of making that horn of his so somber, sensual and soul-grabbing, unlike anyone else I've heard. Especially in his ballads far more than the jazz numbers. Technically, he wasn't the best horn player in the world, I think Al Hirt probably was and there are several others that are up there in status that compare. But Chet had something very special in his sound, it was to-the-bottom-of-your soul-grabbing! Chet made you could feel it probably almost as deep as he did!
Ever heard of Bill Evans?
@@reggaefan2700 Of course! Bill worked with Chet and other artists, was an accomplished pianist and composer, but who also had a problem with heroin and cocaine, which probably exacerbated his health problems and he died early at about age 51. Sometimes, when I hear about these musicians who die young, I ask WHY? But I know. Still, it doesn't make it any easier to accept.
His use of common tones is far more subtle and elegant than your discription.
Today is 11 24 2020 and I just rolled up on this on RUclips Chet Baker was awesome I never knew the whole back story I knew he did some drugs but wow what an amazing talent the man really had an ear for music beautiful absolutely beautiful I could listen to him all day and I have been he's at rest now now he can rest for a bit he left a beautiful Legacy of Music behind awesome I'm glad we all get to enjoy it that's sweet 😊😊😊😊
nice movie, thank you for uploading it.
Je ne veux juste pas que ça finisse... merci merci de ce magnifique documentaire. I just don't want it to end... thanks a million for this marvelous documentary.
The fact that he didn’t know theory. It was all by ear. That’s mind blowing. Must have imitated the masters until he absorbed enough to create his own language. . And he sure sounds like he knows theory. Unreal
Knew about scales and intervals though
@@JohnsonSmithson Yes ?
@@geoffreynelsonjr THAT book is just O K; THEE book about Chet to read is "Chet Baker The Missing Years" by Artt Frank, which is FAR superior to Gavin's book.
@@geoffreynelsonjr Dude, that Gavin book is just O K; THEE best book to read is "Chet Baker The Missing Years" by Artt Frank
More lies about Chet. He took music classes when he was young, knew some, theory, studied music in college for awhile also. He could read music but chose not to. He played in the U S Army band for like a year. You HAVE to be able to read music in order to be in THAT band.
He seems such a sad man, but a very interesting person. Wonderful musician and such a sad end.
A splendid musician and a fascinating life. Godspeed, Chet..
Love these few words. They are making me cry from deep in my heart......
This music makes me feel at home and safe.
Brilliant documentary...
Just breaks my heart.
So BRILLIANT !!! Chet was amazing !!! Such exquisite pain and loneliness. So very similar to my own existence.
Thank you for this intimate portrait of a great musician.
+Charles Elder what a primitive and awful human being this YTuber above, isn't he? hugs
very well done documentary.
Yes, this video is much more sympathetic and positive than the film Let's Get Lost. Thanks for posting!
For anyone interested in further perspective on Chet's life I recommend his aoutobiography, "As Though I Had Wings" (St. Martin's Press).
Thank u for this rare video Tyler Newcomb.
I heard him, briefly, in Paris during 1963. The club was, to the best of my memory, called the Fishing Cat. Chet was playing flugelhorn. The group was a trio, trombone and drums plus Chet. One tune was played after which the drummer left. Chet and the trombone player did a tune. Chet kept time during the trombone solo by playing a piano stool with brushes. The trombone man left, Chet soon followed. I finished my beer and split.
The club was called “Cats and Fishes”
@@luke125 how do you know
@@shable1436 It’s in the documentary about Chet called “Let’s Get Lost”
Pretty amazing man, Chet was sounding really damn good in 1963
@@geoffreynelsonjr I bet he was.
Excellent documentary. Fills in a lot of gaps...
Chet was tonally so smooth, a real genius. Alcohol played a big part in his glory and downfall, a flawed genius is ever there was one.
His collaberations with Elvis Costello in his rendition of "Almost Blue" and "Shipbuilding" are so smooth and a must listen for novice Chet Baker fans.
and speedballs!
Amazing.
very good, many thanks for posting Tyler
Wow! Thank you so much for this! I did not even know it existed.
thanks for this important video. the photo of him lying on the pavement was very hard to look at and so sad. he was a very special gift to all of us and a great artist. i was lucky enough to see him in the early eighties in san francisco. ill never forget his sound. when i walked into the club i was stunned. nobody had a sound like his, it was gorgeous. an experience i will never forget. he is truly missed!
I only saw him one time and my experience is quoted in the new Jeroen De Valk biography of him in a paragraph on page 126. I bought the book and had no idea I am quoted in it.
Lesson to be learned. Don't nod off while sirtting next to an open window. Especially four floors up. What a sad end. His music /spirit lives on. "Thought he could fly", pleeeeez!!!!
+dizzy rider
yeah your right "Thought" .......? .he had flown for years
He was two floors up "dizzy." But whatever, it's very, very doubtful he "thought he could fly." Don't light-weight the use of drugs and their consequences, pleeeeez!!!
Exactly what I said, apart from the number of floors.And Idefinately don't make light of it, I just think he sadly 'nodded' off while sitting next to an open window. His drug of choice would not cause the delusion that he could fly, unlike, say, LSD. Such a sad way to go. I play the horn, and lOve Chets work.
You know noughts 'bout drugs, do you?
Actually, he did fly, with his music, around the people souls.
Chet has a friend in San Diego who has nothing but nice things to say about him. He was very kind.
I saw him at The Fisherman club in San Francisco in 1949. Shifty Henry was on bass but I don't remember much else about it except that when I woke up I was in LA.
Is that the Fisherman Club of the early 50s Film: DOA?
Such phenomenal tone and timing and expressiveness.
Oh man. I miss him and his playing :(
This is good but in no way is it better than Let's Get Lost. That is truly a beautifully shot, beautifully executed and masterfully arranged piece of work.
+cactaceous
Yes indeed but YT comments don't usually constitute the bedrock of sound judgement.
Keeping it real, great story on his live, he could play, drugs really played a part in his life and other artist will tell you. tragic ending to his life.
All great people wrestle with their demons. I loved his style . One of the Great’s.
Chet baker is underrated my friends
who in hell wants to be an addict...not everyone can just STOP..thus the meaning of the word..ADDICT
The jazz greats felt that you could "hear" better behind junk - that it slowed time down. And the elite formed a gang - no junk, no entry because you are not a SERIOUS player.
No, not everyone can just stop, but there IS HELP out there to get off drugs if they will just ask for it BUT, the person needs to change whatever made them want to use drugs in the first place or they WILL RELAPSE! Addiction is BOTH mental and physical. For example, Chet was clean and off drugs for 7 years. What made him REALLY relapse is only really known to him.
Drugs have killed so many people and will kill more. Very sad. Some of it just ignorance about what drugs can do, but TODAY, there is no excuse for not knowing, there's information everywhere about it.
Being unhappy in your life, peer pressure, curiosity, many things can begin drug use and it's VERY difficult to end drug use once you are addicted. Don't bow to peer pressure, there is no excuse for curiosity anymore with all the info out there, and if you are unhappy, ask for help, there's lots of it out there and even without money to pay for it, you can get help today. Best is to never start drugs but if you have a legitimate reason like surgery or traumatic injury, pain WILL subside as you heal and you can wean yourself off the drugs as you need them less. There are many surgical procedures to control continuing pain causes today, if needed, and unless someone has cancer and is terminal (going to die), there is usually no reason to continue on drugs today.
Honestly, Chet was just fine when he was getting prescriptions of pharmaceutical heroin and cocaine from Lady Isabella Frankau in the 60s. Most of the problems associated with drug addiction are actually created by prohibition. Just look at addicts on Switzerland's heroin provision program. Most of them live steady normal lives. The UK itself only started getting problems with heroin when doctors stopped prescribing in the late 60s.
@@MJLeger-yj1ww well said.
...he told a story when he played and the story was open-ended....I could grasp every note
hilarious listening to straight edge people explain their assumptions of a drug experience 'FELT HE COULD FLY' fuckinghell man never heard that one before
I actually got to meet Chet Baker in Paris just a week or so before he died. I was on a European tour with my client Anita O'Day and he came to see her at the New Morning Club. We walked past him on our way in and he approached Anita, but she didn't recognize him at first. His face was haggard, he had no teeth, and his clothes were dirty. But something clicked and she suddenly realized who he was and gave him a huge hug. We moved on to other cities and were still on the tour when we heard he had fallen (or been pushed) out of a window. Some people think he may have owed money to a dealer.
Alan Eichler its very sad to see him go away since he has a good voice for a vocalist and a good trumpet player.
Alan Eichler I can’t accept the theory that a drug dealer pushed Chet out a window that caused his death.
Too many have looked down on him with disrespect because of his drug addiction. I dislike drug addicts. But I try to put his addiction aside. Because Chet Baker was a great musician with great talent. A true musical genius.
His music touches my soul.
@@beverlymcnamara9483 your very shallow then aren't you. So you think as long as you a musician with talent it's OK to take drugs but not for a bin man or a plumber
Sad soul.. He deserves so so so much better than 17 audience.. What a Tragedy sigh.
Word from the musicians who were with him at the hotel that night is that he was talking to a girl, went upstairs to get cigarettes or whatever. Was locked out of his room, so he tried to climb in thru the window of the room next to his. Lost footing and fell
I think that's not right. If you take a look at 3:50min you can see that there's no balcony at all. Just the windows and the walls of the hotel. He couldn't have climbed that sober, imagine intoxicated.But you never know.
Not a bad way to go!
I could believe that. In his biography Deep in a Dream by James Gavin (highly recommend if you have a morbid sense of curiosity about Chet, as I do) it describes when he was desperate for money after his fame in America began to wane and learned how to scale walls and break into homes through the windows. Also, I don’t think Chet would have willing killed himself - he was a coward. He was too scared. His choice to continually use hard drugs despite the trail of destruction it caused throughout his whole life points to an incredibly sad, scared man who couldn’t face life of death. Such a tragic figure in jazz, but I find his music touches a place so deep in the heart. A true martyr of post-war America, also an over praised, spoiled narcissist.
don't judge him .There is no point calling him a coward. Is not nice and is disrespectful.You can't know what is happening to anyone's soul.
@@thebolter123 all drug addicts are narcissists genius
Interestingly, an interview with Russ Freeman. He looks good in this.
Thanks for this wonderful film.
Just hearing where to go is a heck of a lot easier than reading all those little notes!
I just love how people say "He did it to himself". He was an addict....if you haven't suffered from addiction, try not to judge people. If you are an addict and you're judging him, you forget who you are. Like my sister and myself...we both suffered from addiction, I'm still alive and my baby sister is not. A tragedy...
+elleboucher What if someone is addicted to judging people?
Levi Paladin I think we judge people through ignorance and sometimes to make ourselves feel better than others. Addiction is a cruel disease...robbed me and my family of so much.
+elleboucher "We judge people through ignorance and sometimes to make ourselves feel better than others?" Is that the royal "we?"
We as inclusive...as in you, collectively. You can be a wee royal if you like.
elleboucher So you're saying that, alongside yourself, other people judge out of ignorance and a desire to feel as if they are better than others?
In 100 years people will listen to Chet. They will probably not remember Miles.
He is almost childlike in his trust in and dependence on other people. This, I think is a part of what makes his playing so special. He has a child's ear for language both spoken and played.
The cop at around 4 mins has no clue about opiate addiction..."perhaps he thought he could fly"
What an ignorant comment and doubly so by one who is supposed to protect people . End the drug war R.I.P. Chet
.
Exactly
As a matter of fact the police in the netherlands are among the most liberal in the World on drugs, why the hell do you Think Chet Baker lived there,!
@@claussaunte2303 I know my friend I lived there in 1970.
Well. Obviously the cops saod some bullshit, but Chet in his own words grabbed everything he could get when can't reach the opiates... So. Almost unlikely, knowing it all, but possible to say not knowing it all
Hey, we all have our bad moments. Being a star puts you at the mercy of those who would exploit them. The most believable of the stories of his death I've heard is that, locked out of his hotel room and lacking a key, Baker fell to his death trying to free-climb to his room. What guy among us hasn't been in such an embarrassing situation?
When Chet does a stupid move and fucks up it is turned by the Puritanical media into a morality play: musical genius betrays his talent due to drug addiction. Give me a break! Baker was playing in top form up to the day of his death. How about a few stories about the thousands of artists who lost everything to alcohol addiction?
To even suggest that Chet "thought he could fly" is perfectly inane! Chet knew WELL the effect drugs had on him and he was NOT reckless nor would he ever have thought he could fly! He did some reckless things when quite young but don't we all! He DID have cocaine and heroin in his blood stream at autopsy, but the most likely scenario is that he was just sitting on his window sill two stories up, relaxing, probably thinking about how he had just performed, he was probably tired, but he slipped and fell. The cement below probably caused a fatal head injury. Very sad. But Chet was NOT prone to irrational thinking like it is suggested. There are a dozen different stories of what people THINK happened to Chet, but it was thoroughly investigated and most of the stories are merely supposition.
I watch this Documentary and The pull.of Heroin Is always right there.Its been 5 years since ive touched the stuff and i Hate/ Love it ...However i see the waste of Life and how it Ruins Peoples.Subutex for now.
..R.I.P. Chet Baker Born To Be Blue
Buprenorphine
Never was on h, but here oxy epidemic and everyone is on subs
Except from the time around '55-'57 Chet Baker always looked like an addict and a homeless from that time on.
But he seemed like a really sweet and kind person and of course a great, great musician.
Very nice film about Chet Baker the musician. Far superior to "Let's Get Lost," which completely missed Chet the musician. Indeed, almost that film's only virtue were the loving, and very perceptive comments of Jack Sheldon.
In this film, I especially loved the segment with Red Mitchell, and the interviews with Philipe Catherine, Russ Freeman, and some of the other European musicians. I've read several Baker biographies, and this film gave me faces for many of the people around Chet in his later years.
That Red Mitchell introduction to My Romance was too sublime and lovely for words----
The blending of Gets and Chet in concert is simply perfection . .as if one soul playing the piece..
Excellent docu. He should have learned his lesson when his teeth were destroyed because of drugs. The bad thing with drugs is that they often lead to a stupid death.
Too bad we lost him so soon. He had a power to express emotions by under-playing rather than doing the razzle-dazzle like so many trumpeters. No wonder women were mad about him. Wheter he was singing or playing he was unique and excellent. RIP Chet. I miss you.
Chet Baker's timeless trumpet magic and the insightful glimpse into his extraordinary life! ❤
in the passage at 28.15 and further is amazing the way they match together
When he picked up that horn in the later years it probably the only time he brought "harmony and order" into his chaotic life....
My guess he sat on the window sill for a breath of fresh air, and perhaps to gaze out at the city at night, the lights, and eventually, as all heroin users will do, he nodded off. Unfortunately he did not fall back into room upon the floor at his feet. He went the wrong way and most likely did not suffer, thank goodness, but he left a legion of fans to mourn his untimely passing.
Miles said Chet took or stole his style from him--from Miles, but that was just Miles being Miles.
Miles could never play like Chet
the brilliance of Baker at his best!!
Too bad Chet was so creative when high. It must free up the mind. But more and more drugs takes it's toll and the body is damaged. It has done in many great artists. His sound and ideas just get into your soul and stir you. How beautiful!
Great artists who were junkies, including Bird and Rollins, unanously say that being high on heroin has NOTHING to do with creativity.
I don't know much about jazz, but this man has a special sweet touch.
Chet is arguably {sp} the best jazz musician that ever lived.
Arguably (correct spelling). No-one will bother arguing. It's not worth the trouble. Great work (for a Whitey).
I believe he fell. When I was deep into my addiction and when the gear was good and had a big one, then I could easily of fell out of a window. I would walk around in a dream like state, not knowing what I was really doing or thinking. Just high as fuck feeling good.
Chet's music was great, his life, not so much.
Maradona to football like Chet Baker to Jazz, genius but weak at the same time.Mabe that is what is needed to be a genius, who knows
One of the greats. Unfortunately, the demons that followed many jazz musicians also followed him. This contributed to his premature departure.
must be nice to have perfect pitch like chet
Actually, Irv Rochlin was a close friend of Chet's and had been hanging at Irv's pad in that time frame. Irv related to me that the windows of that hotel had some built in sort of barricade that would probably eliminate the possibility of jumping from a window.
I heard someone remind me of his climbing the cliffs in Malibu that he also climbed apartment buildings in California with Lee Morgan to burglarize and get dope money. A friend of mine on tour in Europe found him in the hotel hallway locked out of his room naked except for a sheet around him. In Amsterdam that night I think he locked his keys in the room and was trying to climb up to get through the window and then fell.
It explains the full needles of dope they found in room, he desperately needed his fix but he didnt want to get them to open the door for fear of arrest again.
Nice story but I don’t believe a word of it. Sorry
William Claxton (1927 - 2008) was an American photographer.
Rip
Chet went from lookin fine to not so fine. But he never stopped playing.
Heroin does that.
Just the Best!
What an amazing man