Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool".
"My Funny Valentine" is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart coming of age musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by teenaged star Mitzi Green. The song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. One of them was Chet Baker, for whom it became his signature song. In 2015 the Gerry Mulligan quartet's 1953 version of the song was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for its "cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society and the nation’s audio legacy". Mulligan also recorded the song with his Concert Jazz Band in 1960.
George Edward Coleman is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master.
Matthew-Aaron Dusk is a Canadian jazz vocalist. He has four certified gold albums: Two Shots, Good News, Old School Yule! and JetSetJazz, and two certified platinum albums; My Funny Valentine: The Chet Baker Songbook and Just the Two of Us.
David "Buck" Wheat was an American folk and jazz musician. The Texas-born Wheat was a guitarist and bass player with the dance bands of the era, playing at the Chicago Playboy Jazz Festival 1959 in The Playboy Jazz All Stars and the Chet Baker Trio. In the winter of 1957, he was a jazz guitarist with Baker's Trio. Though most of Baker's material was recorded in Los Angeles, "Embraceable You", "There's a Lull in My Life" and "My Funny Valentine" are rare examples of Baker recording in New York. The format is also unusual for him, just Baker's vocals accompanied by only Wheat on nylon string acoustic guitar and bassist Russ Savakus.
Chet Baker Sings is the debut vocal album by jazz musician Chet Baker, released in 1954 by Pacific Jazz Records. In 2001, the album received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Baker would return to selections from this album throughout his career. "My Funny Valentine" was regularly included in his concert performances, and is considered by some to be his signature song.
Round Midnight is a soundtrack album by Herbie Hancock featuring music recorded for Bertrand Tavernier's film Round Midnight released in 1986 on Columbia Records. The album features performances by Hancock, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Tony Williams, vocalist Bobby McFerrin, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, bassist Pierre Michelot, drummer Billy Higgins, guitarist John McLaughlin, trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, vocalist Lonette McKee, and pianist Cedar Walton, most of whom appear in the film. It won the Academy Award for Best Music, Original Score in 1986, beating Ennio Morricone's The Mission and Jerry Goldsmith's Hoosiers, among others. Additional music recorded during the making of the film was released under Dexter Gordon's name as The Other Side of Round Midnight (1986).
Seven Steps: The Complete Columbia Recordings of Miles Davis 1963–1964 is a box set of studio and concert recordings by Miles Davis for Columbia over a two-year period. Instead of focusing on a particular collaboration or session period, it focuses on the time period in between the solidified lineups of the first and second Great Quintets, starting with Ron Carter's introduction and finishing with the establishment of Wayne Shorter in the lineup.
This article contains the discography of the American jazz trumpeter and singer Chet Baker. His most productive period was arguably for Pacific Records during the 1950s, which included his first vocal recordings.
Silence is an album by the American jazz bassist Charlie Haden recorded in 1987 and released on the Italian Soul Note label two years later. The album features West Coast jazz trumpeter Chet Baker, and was recorded six months before Baker's death. Three of the six songs on the album--"My Funny Valentine", "'Round Midnight", and "Conception"—were regular features in Baker's concerts at the time. A fourth song, "Visa", was a bebop composition written by Charlie Parker, a musician Baker played with early in his career. Joining Haden and Baker on the album are drummer Billy Higgins and pianist Enrico Pieranunzi.
Jazz at Ann Arbor is a live album by jazz trumpeter Chet Baker which was recorded at the Masonic Temple in 1954 and released on the Pacific Jazz label.
West Coast Live is a live album by trumpeter Chet Baker and saxophonist Stan Getz which was recorded in California in 1953 but not released until 1997, on the Pacific Jazz label.
"Chetty's Lullaby" is a 1962 jazz song composed by Chet Baker. The song was released as a single in 1962 in Italy.
Line for Lyons is a live album by saxophonist Stan Getz and trumpeter Chet Baker which was recorded in Sweden in 1983 and released on the Swedish Sonet label. The name of the album is based on the eponymous song by Gerry Mulligan, a tribute to Jimmy Lyons. Chet Baker played the song multiple times when he was part of Mulligan's lineup and it made its way into his standard repertoire.
Chet Baker Sings Again is an album by trumpeter/vocalist Chet Baker which was recorded in 1985 and released on the Dutch Timeless label.
Carnegie Hall Concert is a live album by saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and trumpeter Chet Baker. The album was recorded at Carnegie Hall in 1974 and released on the CTI label both as a double LP and as two separate volumes. In 1995 the album was re-released as a CD with an additional track.
All Blues is an album by vocalist Rachel Gould and trumpeter Chet Baker which was recorded in 1979 and released on the French Bingow label.
"Il mio domani" or "My Tomorrow" is a 1962 jazz song composed by Chet Baker. The song was released as a B side single in 1962 in Italy.
"Freeway" is a 1952 jazz song composed by Chet Baker and recorded with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. The song was released as part of an LP album and an EP single in the U.S. and a 45 single in the UK and France in 1952.
Erik Jekabson is an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. A Bay Area-based musician, he is known for the jazz group The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, which he leads. He is also a composer and arranger.
