Baker, Chet. (1929 - 1988)
"Everything is cool" - 1982 Autograph Letter
An interesting autograph note from the later years of the jazz legend's life, to his friend Jim Butler. Dated October 25, 1982 in his hometown of Yale, Oklahoma, the letter reports that Baker has been home in Oklahoma for eight days [after touring in Canada and Europe] and that "it's awfully quiet around here; you have no idea." Mentioning his wife Carol and his mother, Baker concludes, "Well, I just wanted to let you know that everything is cool." Together with a postcard of Baker playing.1 p. on lined notepaper, with the original envelope. Envelope slightly ripped from opening; overall in fine condition. 5 x 7.6 inches (13 x 18.8 cm).
From the collection of Jim Butler, a long-time avid Chet Baker collector who became good friends with Baker and his family over the years.
Text, in full: "Oct. 25, 1982 / Yale, OKLA / Dear Jim, I've been home eight days and am feeling pretty good. It's awfully quiet around here; you have no idea. I'll be passing through N.Y. on the 9th of Nov. to do 3 days in Buffalo on the 11th 12th and 13th; I'll give you a call sometime on the 9th. Hope you are O.K. My wife has a pretty good job at Oklahoma University at Stillwater. She's learning about computers; programming and everything, so, I'm alone, except for my mother all day; but I'm glad to have some time with her as I hadn't seen her in five years. Well, I just wanted to let you know that everything is cool. Soon / As ever / Chet."
An uncommon letter from the celebrated American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and vocalist. Baker was known for the clarity and ease of his tone as a trumpeter, and the preternatural calm, quiet, and reflectiveness of his singing, the way in which he could, “somehow,” as the Italian pianist Enrico Pieranunzi puts it, “express the question mark of life in so few notes." Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You) and Jazz historian David Gelly has described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one." But Baker began using heroin in the 1950s, resulting in an addiction that lasted the remainder of his life, landing him in and out of jail and partly driving his notoriety and fame. His career enjoyed a resurgence in the late 1970s and '80s, during which time he lived in Europe, recording and touring, for most of the ten years prior to his death. On May 13, 1988 Baker was found dead on the street below his second-story room of Hotel Prins Hendrik in Amsterdam, in what was almost certainly a suicide, but ruled an accidental if drug-induced fall. (13526)
Autograph Letter Jazz