Chet Baker: A Quick Look at His Life, Works and Beyond

Chet Baker is popular as an American trumpeter and vocalist who has made recognizable contributions to the swing music genre. You can often listen to his songs being played on the top swing music station in USA and stay wonderstruck. Thus, through this blog today we want to pay the long-awaited tribute to Chet Baker. For this, we will bring to you his life, wide range of works, and more, into close quarters.

Life

Chet Baker is endearingly addressed as ‘Prince of Cool’ for his major innovations in cool jazz. (Cool jazz is a style in modern jazz that rose to prominence in the United States after the Second World War.) Baker already had music running in his blood because he came from a household where everyone loved and practiced music immensely. He was born on 23rd December 1929 and passed away on 13th May 1988. During his span of life, he had a career that was full of highs and lows but like all other established musicians, he never gave up.

Works

Baker has made unforgettable compositions in the swing era through his jazz compositions. Some of his most noted works are as follows:

● Chetty’s Lullaby

● Early Morning Mood

● Two a Day

● Blue Gilles

● Freeway

● The Route

● New Morning Blues

● We Know It’s Love

and many more. You can listen to all of these songs and more, only on your favorite swing jazz music station. The songs have a calming effect and will compel you to dance to their tunes. Even if you are not too much into swing music and jazz songs, you will still grow a huge fan of Baker’s.

Awards

During his lifetime and posthumously, Baker was awarded and honored with several prizes and recognitions. Take a look at the most prominent awards and honors bestowed on Baker.

● The Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame was awarded to him in the year 1987.

● The Down Beat Magazine Jazz Hall of Fame in 1989 honored him as well.

● Baker also won the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1991 posthumously.

● The Grammy Hall of Fame Award for Chet Baker Sings (1956) was inducted in the year 2001, which is quite recently.

● The Oklahoma Governor, Brad Henry and the Oklahoma House of Representatives in the year 2005 proclaimed the Chet Baker Day. This came as a grand recognition of this musical star.

To honor Baker further, the Chet Baker Jazz Festival was held on 10th October 2015. This jazz festival was held in Yale, Oklahoma, and turned out to be a huge success. Again, from 2nd to 19th May 2018, the Forli Jazz Festival was held in honor of Chet Baker. It was held 30 years after this renowned jazz musician’s death.

Films

Baker had made his presence in films as an actor and also as a music director. He had acted in the movies Hell’s Horizon in 1955 and in Howlers in the Dock in 1960. Besides, he had composed music for films like Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti (1959), Tromba Fredda (1963), Nudi per vivere (1964), etc.

Conclusion:

If you are looking forward to listening to America’s top swing jazz music station then stay tuned to Swing Street Radio. Not only will you get to listen to the different melodious songs of Chet Baker but also lend your patient ears to those of others. Moreover, this swing and jazz radio music station plays your favorite song on request, and for this, you just have to send them an email at their official email address. Check out their website for more details and keep listening to Swing Street Radio for swing music and jazz songs from a golden era.