Baker, Chet. (1929 - 1988). Autograph Postcard from Saudi Arabia.
Autograph postcard from the jazz legend, written on tour in 1983 while in Saudi Arabia. Postmarked with the Hirji date 13.5.1403 (Gregorian February 26, 1983) and on the verso with the American date of March 3, 1983, the postcard reads: "Dear Jim, Here we are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Stan and I are staying at the home of the U. S. Ambassador here; it's very beautiful and very warm. A couple of days ago we were in Oslo. So far the tour has been great; hope you are too. See you, maybe in August. Love - Chet." On the verso, the fascinating huge César sculpture "The Thumb," on display in Jeddah. In very fine condition. 5.5 x 4 inches (14.7 x 10.2 cm).
Baker appeared in Jeddah in late February or early March 1983 with the saxophonist Stan Getz; it was probably the last time they appeared on stage together. A member of the expat community who heard the concert remembered that "being US citizens, Stan and Chet would have been "smuggled" into the Kingdom by the US authorities as "diplomatic" staff of one form or another. In which case their performance would have almost certainly been in the assembly hall of the US "Jeddah Prep" school."
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.
See: http://stangetz.ning.com/profiles/blogs/last-concert-appearance-of-stan-getz-and-chet-baker
An interesting short note 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.
Baker, Chet. (1929 - 1988). Autograph Postcard from Saudi Arabia.
Autograph postcard from the jazz legend, written on tour in 1983 while in Saudi Arabia. Postmarked with the Hirji date 13.5.1403 (Gregorian February 26, 1983) and on the verso with the American date of March 3, 1983, the postcard reads: "Dear Jim, Here we are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Stan and I are staying at the home of the U. S. Ambassador here; it's very beautiful and very warm. A couple of days ago we were in Oslo. So far the tour has been great; hope you are too. See you, maybe in August. Love - Chet." On the verso, the fascinating huge César sculpture "The Thumb," on display in Jeddah. In very fine condition. 5.5 x 4 inches (14.7 x 10.2 cm).
Baker appeared in Jeddah in late February or early March 1983 with the saxophonist Stan Getz; it was probably the last time they appeared on stage together. A member of the expat community who heard the concert remembered that "being US citizens, Stan and Chet would have been "smuggled" into the Kingdom by the US authorities as "diplomatic" staff of one form or another. In which case their performance would have almost certainly been in the assembly hall of the US "Jeddah Prep" school."
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.
See: http://stangetz.ning.com/profiles/blogs/last-concert-appearance-of-stan-getz-and-chet-baker
An interesting short note 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.