Chet Baker Everything happens to me- A Moment in Jazz History.

Great jazz musicians made jazz music history with beautiful sounds. Some changed all jazz. Saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass ,vocals and more. In jazz the skilled performer will interpret a tune in very individual ways, never playing the same composition exactly the same way twice. Depending upon the performer's mood and personal experience, interactions with other musicians, or even members of the audience, a jazz musician/performer may alter melodies, harmonies or time signature at will.  The jazz soloist is often supported by a rhythm section who "comp" (accompany the soloist), by playing chords and rhythms that outline the song structure and complement the soloist. As with the case here. 

Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer. In the 1950s, Baker earned much attention and critical praise, particularly for albums featuring his vocals, such as Chet Baker Sings.     

Born: December 23, 1929, Yale

Died: May 13, 1988, Amsterdam  

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. But his career was marred by drug addiction. After a while Baker initially played in Vido Musso's band, then with Stan Getz. (The first recording featuring Baker is a performance of "Out of Nowhere" that comes from a tape of a jam session made on March 24, 1952, and was released on the Fresh Sound Records LP Live at the Trade Winds.) His break came quickly, when, in the spring of 1952, he was chosen at an audition to play a series of West Coast dates with Charlie Parker, making his debut with the famed saxophonist at the Tiffany Club in Los Angeles on May 29, 1952. That summer, he began playing in the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, a group featuring only baritone sax, trumpet, bass, and drums -- no piano -- that attracted attention during an engagement at the Haig nightclub and through recordings on the newly formed Pacific Jazz Records (later known as World Pacific Records), beginning with the 10" LP Gerry Mulligan Quartet, which featured Baker's famous rendition of "My Funny Valentine".  A Moment in Jazz History will be the feature title of this Blog, fitting as it may be that Chet Baker touched our lives in such a way that only Jazz Music can describe. Impromptu by the moment and hour that he lived, and sharing his gift with us. Chet Baker was one of a kind, And that may be the way he wanted it.   
Thanks for commenting. Ray Chapa.