A Portrait of Chet Baker
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Feather’s assertion that Baker “was a limited trumpeter . . . and an even less talented singer” is way off the mark and damning to Baker’s talent (“Film Portrait Does Jazz a Disservice”).
The first time I heard Baker’s voice, I said to myself, “That’s not singing, that’s communicating!” He didn’t take over a song, but rather he made it a listener’s song.
Baker had a talent to give of himself, like a Nina Simone or a Piaf or a Merle Haggard and damn few others.
Chet Baker is gone and so are his troubles. The important thing is that his legacy lives on.
TOMATA DU PLENTY
Silverlake
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