As Though I Had Wings

The writings and musings of the jazz trumpet-player Chet Baker. A seminal figure in postwar jazz, Baker started his career in army bands, before meeting Charlie Parker and moving into the world of jazz, and the establishment of the infamous California "Cool" scene of the 1950s. His reticent interpretation of "My Funny Valentine" brought him instant fame, but by the 1960s his drug addiction had put his career on the line. Back fron the brink in the 1970s and 1980s, he reinvented himself and was the subject of the Bruce Weber documentary, "Let's Get Lost", in 1987. He died in mysterious circumstances in 1988.