Biography

Chet Baker was a primary exponent of the West Coast school of cool jazz in the early and mid-'50s. As a trumpeter, he had a generally restrained, intimate playing style and he attracted attention beyond jazz for his photogenic looks and singing. His break came in 1952, when he was chosen to play a series of dates with Charlie Parker. Shortly after that, he began playing in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet and recorded his famous rendition of "My Funny Valentine." His career was marred by drug addiction, which caused him to lead a disorganized and peripatetic life. As a result, his discography is extensive and wildly uneven. ~ William Ruhlmann

Top Tracks

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• 12 + 12

• A Foggy Day

• Airegin

• Alfie

• All Blues

• All The Things You Are

• Almost Blue

• Almost Like Being In Love

• Autumn In New York

• Autumn In New York/embraceable You/what's New?

• Autumn Leaves

• Baby Breeze

• Balzwaltz

• But Not For Me

• C.t.a.

• Cherokee

• Chetty's Lullaby

• Come Rain Or Come Shine

• Concierto De Aranjuez

• Corcovado (quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)

• Darn That Dream

• Deep In A Dream

• Douceur Ternaires

• Easy Living

• Embraceable You

• Every Time We Say Goodbye

• Everything Happens To Me

• For Miles And Miles

• For Minors Only

• Four

• Funk In Deep Freeze

• Go-go

• Grade "a" Gravy

• Grey December

• Happy Little Sunbeam

• Have You Met Miss Jones?

• I Can't Give You Anything But Love

• I Fall In Love Too Easily

• I Get Along Without You Very Well

• I Love You

• I Married An Angel

• I Remember You

• I Should Care

• If I Should Lose You

• If You Could See Me Now

• I'll Remember April

• I'm Getting Sentimental Over You/you've Changed

• I'm Old Fashioned

• Imagination

• In Your Own Sweet Way

• Indian Summer

• Isn't It Romantic?

• It Could Happen To You

• I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

• Jeru

• Lady Bird

• Let Me Be Loved

• Let's Get Lost

• Line For Lyons

• Little Girl Blue

• Long Ago And Far Away

• Look For The Silver Lining

• Love

• Love For Sale

• Love Nest

• Love Walked In

• Lover Man

• Lush Life

• Mating Call

• Mean To Me

• Milestones

• Moonlight Becomes You

• Moonlight In Vermont

• My Foolish Heart

• My Funny Valentine

• My Heart Stood Still

• My Ideal

• My One And Only Love

• Mythe

• Night In Tunisia

• Nightbird

• No Fair Lady

• Oh, You Crazy Moon

• Old Devil Moon

• On A Misty Night

• On Green Dolphin Street/luscious Loo

• Over The Rainbow

• Pardon, Mon Affaire

• Polka Dots And Moonbeams

• Ponder

• Portrait In Black And White

• Pro Defunctus

• Rebel At Work

• Secret Love

• September Song

• Sleeping Susan

• Slightly Above Moderate

• So Easy

• Solar

• Someone To Watch Over Me

• Soul Eyes

• Stablemates

• Stairway To The Stars

• Star Eyes

• Stella By Starlight

• Summertime

• Tadd's Delight

• Tangerine

• Tenderly

• Thank Heaven For Little Girls

• That Old Feeling

• That Ole Devil Called Love

• The Route

• The Thrill Is Gone

• The Touch Of Your Lips

• The Way You Look Tonight

• There Is No Greater Love

• There's A Lull In My Life

• These Foolish Things

• These Foolish Things (remind Me Of You)

• This Is Always

• This Is The Thing

• Time After Time

• To Mickey's Memory

• Tommyhawk

• Trav'lin' Light

• Tune Up

• Tynan Time

• Up Chet's Alley

• V-line

• Walking Shoes

• Well, You Needn't

• What A Diff'rence A Day Made

• What's New?

• When Lights Are Low

• Why Shouldn't You Cry

• Witch Doctor

• Worrying The Life Out Of Me

• You Don't Know What Love Is

• You Go To My Head

• You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

Discography

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• The Sesjun Radio Shows

  Beeld En Geluid

  2010

• Chet Baker [Fresh Sound]

  Fresh Sound / Fresh Sound Records

  2010

• The Last Great Concert: My Favorite Songs, Vol. 1 & 2

  Enja

  2004

• Sings, Plays: Live at the Keystone Korner

  Highnote Records, Inc. / High Note

  2003

• Oh You Crazy Moon: Legacy Vol. 4

  Enja/Justin Time

  2003

• Quartet Live, Vol. 3: My Old Flame

  Pacific Jazz / Blue Note

  2001

• Quartet Live, Vol. 2: Out of Nowhere

  Pacific Jazz / Blue Note

  2001

• Chet Baker Featuring Van Morrison Live at Ronnie Scott's

  DRG

  1996

• Live in Cheteauvallon, 1978

  Esoldun / France's Concert

  1993

• Chet Baker in Bologna

  Dreyfus Records

  1992

• Silence

  Soul Note (Italy)

  1990

• As Time Goes By

  1990

• Nightbird

  Jazz World

  1990

• The Heart of the Ballad

  Phililogy

  1988

• Chet Baker in Tokyo

  Evidence

  1987

• Four: Live in Tokyo, Vol. 2

  Paddle Wheel

  1987

• A Night at the Shalimar

  Philology

  1987

• Live at Ronnie Scott's

  DRG

  1986

• When Sunny Gets Blue

  Steeplechase

  1986

• There'll Never Be Another You

  Timeless

  1985

• Hazy Hugs

  Challenge Records

  1985

• Candy

  Gazell Productions

  1985

• Chet's Choice

  Criss Cross

  1985

• Blues for a Reason

  Criss Cross

  1984

• Line for Lyons

  Sonet

  1984

• Live in Sweden with Åke Johansson Trio

  Dragon

  1983

• Peace

  Enja

  1982

• Studio Trieste

  CTI Records (Creed Taylor Inc.)

  1982

• Live at the Paris Festival

  Disk Union

  1981

• Live at Fat Tuesday's

  Fresh Sound

  1981

• Chet Baker and the Boto Brasilian Quartet

  Dreyfus Records

  1980

• Chet Baker with Wolfgang Lackerschmid

  In-Akustik

  1979

• Someday My Prince Will Come

  Steeplechase

  1979

• This Is Always

  Steeplechase

  1979

• Day Break

  Steeplechase

  1979

• Live in Montmartre, Vol. 2

  Steeplechase

  1979

• The Touch of Your Lips

  SteepleChase / Steeplechase

  1979

• Live at Nick's

  Criss Cross

  1978

• Once Upon a Summertime

  Original Jazz Classics

  1977

• You Can't Go Home Again

  A&M

  1977

• She Was Too Good to Me

  Masterworks Jazz

  1974

• Blood, Chet & Tears

  Verve

  1970

• Together

  Jazz

  197?

• Albert's House

  Par

  1969

• Polka Dots and Moonbeams

  Jazzland

  1967

• A Taste of Tequila

  World Pacific

  1966

• Quietly, There

  1966

• Into My Life

  World Pacific

  1966

• Hats Off!!!

  World Pacific

  1966

• Live at Pueblo, Colorado 1966

  Baker

  1966

• Baby Breeze

  Verve / Polygram

  1965

• Mulligan-Baker

  Fantasy

  1965

• Brussels 1964

  Landscape

  1964

• The Most Important Jazz Album of 1964/65

  Roulette Records

  1964

• Somewhere over the Rainbow

  RCA

  1962

• Picture of Heath

  Pacific Jazz

  1961

• Chet Baker in Milan

  Original Jazz Classics

  1959

• Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe

  Original Jazz Classics

  1959

• Chet Baker Plays

  Riverside Records

  1959

• Chet Baker Introduces Johnny Pace

  Original Jazz Classics / Riverside Records

  1958

• Stan Meets Chet

  Verve

  1958

• Theme Music from "The James Dean Story"

  Pacific Jazz / Blue Note

  1958

• Embraceable You

  Pacific Jazz / Blue Note

  1957

• Chet Baker Cools Out

  Boplicity (UK)

  1956

• At the Forum Theater

  Jazz Archives (France)

  1956

• Live in Europe 1956

  M10

  1956

• Chet Baker Sings

  Pacific Jazz / Blue Note

  1956

• Chet Baker in Europe

  Pacific Jazz

  1956

• Köln Concert Featuring Dick Twardzik

  RLR

  1955

• The Chet Baker Sextet

  Pacific Jazz / Blue Note

  1955

• Haig '53: The Other Pianoless Quartet

  Philology

  1953

• Live at the Trade Winds

  Fresh Sound

  1952