I think everyone in the world has that one musician who they have an inexplicable connection to. For me, it is Chet Baker.
I first came across Chet's music in 2007. I had received a book voucher from school to spend at a bookstore. So I went to Readings bookstore in Hawthorn after school one day to put it to good use.
I bought Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom" and Herman Melville's "Moby Dick". I had a few more bucks to spare, so I went to the music section of the shop. At that time I was heavily into jazz music - Louis Armstrong, Maynard Ferguson, Frank Sinatra and others. I saw Chet's CD, and having seen the name "Chet Baker" somewhere before and willing to listen to something new, I bought it.
I remember going home in the car with my mum after and listening to my first Chet Baker song. It was "I fall in love too easily".
I knew Chet Baker played the trumpet, but I didn't know he sang. When I was listening to this song, I was certain that the singer was a woman. I fell in love with the song straight away, and when I went home I tried for hours to find out who the singer was. I was impressed with Chet's trumpet playing, but to be honest I was more impressed with the singer's vocals.
To my huge surprise I found out the voice belonged to none other then the man himself - Chet Baker.
Don't get me wrong - it's not as if I only listen to Chet, or just jazz. I listen to all kinds of music. Some of my favourite artists and bands include Eminem, The Eagles, Metallica, KPOP (2NE1, 2PM, FT Island etc.), Linkin Park, Far East Movement...but Chet's music is special.
I still can't explain why I feel such a connection with Chet's music. Chet was a romantic, and a lot of his songs are about love. One of my favourite songs by Chet is "My Ideal" where Chet sings:
~ Will I ever find, the girl in my mind, the one who is my ideal? Maybe she's a dream, and yet she might be, just around the corner waiting for me...will I recognise the light in her eyes, that no other eyes reveal? Or will I pass her by, and never even know that she was my ideal ~
In all of Chet's music, whether it be from his early years or his drug-fueled years, he plays the trumpet and sings with so much heart, so much passion, so much love and so much cool ~
I wonder to myself why it is that I feel so connected to his music. I'm an outgoing, sporty guy who tries to live life to the max ("party hard, study hard"). But I also think of myself as a deep sort of guy - I like to think a lot about who I am and what life is about. I love nature, and can be emotional at times (I think that comes with my Korean genes :P). Chet's music transports me to an out-of-this-world place where I am easily able to focus, delve into my inner thoughts and relax.
Whatever the reason, I thank Chet for his music. I would have loved to watch him play and sing live, but it wasn't meant to be!
I'll finish off this blog with one of my favourite life quotes and my favourite Chet Baker song:
"A good way to go in this life is to find something that you really enjoy doing, and then learn to do it better than anybody" - Chet Baker in Let's Get Lost
Chet Baker Live in Tokyo 1987 - My Funny Valentine:
From Wikipedia: "Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and vocalist. Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You). Jazz historian David Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one." His "well-publicized drug habit" also drove his notoriety and fame; Baker was in and out of jail regularly before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and '80s."
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