Chet Baker
"One of the reasons I believe in jazz is that the oneness of man can come through the rhythm of your heart. It's the same anyplace in the world, that heartbeat". – Chet Baker
Jazz trumpeter and singer Chet Baker had fallen out from a Amsterdam hotel window on Friday the 13 of May 1988. He was 58.
Chet Baker was a cool cat and he is what James Dean always wanted to be. The flair for his trumpet coupled with his beautifully sad soft voice are seductive. Baker possesses charisma that is uniquely his own. He was a musical genius never had to work hard, music came to him like magic, never saved any money from any gigs for 40 years and what ever money he got he spent it on women and drugs, his talent and fame became his curse.
Baker was born in Yale, Oklahoma, began his musical career in San Francisco jazz clubs in the early 50’s. He played with many great jazz icon such as Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis. He became famous with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet in 1952. My funny valentine became the beginning of cool jazz classic and he made this song his own. Because of his good look, Baker appeared in a few low-budget movies, including Hell's Horizon and at the same time Chet recorded with many musicians in different countries in Europe. If not because of his fast women and hard drugs problems, he might have become even bigger star.
"Chet cons people, he has the ability to elicit sympathy - and it's all a big act". Baker left a lot of pain and heartbreak, his ex wife and past girlfriends speak unkind of him, but you can also see their love for him in a documentary directed by Bruce Weber Let’s Get Lost. Evident of Chet’s melancholic beauty, the film noir black and white style with shots of Baker sitting in the back of a convertible, he closed his eyes and sat between two women and let his hair dancing in the wind.
“I Fall in Love Too Easily, I fall in love too fast ” - Baker lived the songs with a painful intensity, a jazz Elvis, a deep in dream junkie, a lover, a manipulator, the faded pretty boy of the West Coast 'cool school', the glasses, the voice, the cigarette, the gals, the trumpet ... Fallen out from a hotel window of Room 210.
Pink Martini
I was in Paris many years ago and that was
the first time I listen to Pink Martini at Virgin record Mega Store. It was a
cold afternoon, just walked out the cinema from “Amilie”, wondering along the famous
Champs-Élysées between the tree-line, everything was so strangely familiar, wanted
to buy a CD that would remind me of this time, this is almost a traditions of
my own, every country I go I buy a CD to be part of the memory, I also collect
bus and train tickets but that is another story.
Pink Martini gave me the impression that
they are a European group and later I found out they are from Portland, USA,
lead by pianist Thomas Lauderdale. The CD “Sympathique” was in my hand and the
song Amado Mio caught my attention. If you know the old movie classic, you will
know this is the song from Gilda with Rita Hayworth, I closed my eyes and
imagined Rita is dancing
... Amado Mio, when
we're together. I'm in a dream world.
of sweet delight. Many times I've
whispered ...
Pink Martini‘s music spent more than 10
years with me, from Sympathique, Hang on Little Tomato, Hey Eugene! till 2012, finally
saw them live in Barcelona. Almost 2 hours of stylish music, audience clapped
and sang together, although China Forbes could not be here due to the recovery
from her vocal chord surgery, but the replacement singer Strom Large is almost
as good if not better. She has an amazing sexy energy and knows how to have fun with
the audience. Little bit of shaking and twisting, she invited some girls to be on
stage to dance to the song “Tuca Tuca” with her and at this time everybody in theater
was dancing with them.
The first time I heard Nat king Cole when I
was five, since then my taste of music is always swimming in the element of
Jazz, Classical, Tango, Latin music from Stan Getz, Antonio Jobim, Frank Sinatra,Chet
Baker, Billie Holiday, Harry James, Miles David, Debussy, Mozart and so on, one minute,
I am in Rio and suddenly I am waking up in Japan and hear the voice of Saori
Yuki singing "Mayonaka no Bossa Nova".
All of the good old music rather it is the sensitive
sound of a piano and the smooth touch of orchestra with string or the dramatic
big bang with brass. They are all became part of my DNA, and now I have pink
Martini, the little orchestra to prove that I am not the only one. Somewhere in
this world at this very moment, someone is playing my favorite tune, singing my
favorite song, the beautiful ballads with the charming lyrics. Pink Martini
makes it possible and doing it fun like a sweet treat. They put the sound to
the word beautiful. They put the rhythm into my life and I hear the sound of “Brazil”
everywhere I go, dance with that pretty girl I love with “Never stop falling in
love “ so, come with me, enjoy their music, enjoy life, living is a wonderful thing.
Christmas is on the way, this is the best
time to get to know them by getting their holiday Album ‘Joy To The World’ and
buy their collection CD “A Retrospective“ as a gift. My dream is someday I can sing with Pink
Martini but for now I might just make one to drink.
PINK MARTINI
Ingredients:
1 part gin
2 parts vermouth
½ part guava nectar or juice
Dash of Cherry brandy
Shake well with ice and strain into a
chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with raspberries if you like.
Melody Gardot
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