Chet Baker Essentials

Chet Baker Essentials

Chet Baker's reputation as the drug-ravaged Adonis who fell from grace has too long overshadowed his remarkable abilities as a trumpet player and vocalist. A key player in the West Coast cool sound of the '50s, Baker recorded a string of vocal and instrumental sides on the Pacific Jazz label, playing with Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz, Art Pepper, and Shelly Manne. As his addictions took hold, he recorded sporadically in New York, Europe, and Japan until his mysterious death in 1988. Even Baker's often-flawed later recordings sometimes capture the ineffable grace of his early work.

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