I just watched a documentary on Chet. It was interesting enough I guess (though it could have been done better, IMO). But as I watched and listened I was struck by how mediocre he sounded to me. Now granted jazz is not really my thing but I feel I should still be able to make a judgement call on it. Or maybe not.
Handsome? Yes. Charismatic? Yes. One of the jazz greats? Not so sure. What say the minions?
Chet has been one of my favorite trumpet people from the 50’s. I was truly saddened by his passing. His lifestyle was (as it was for many of his generation’s stars) pathetic and self-destructive.
I was more like amused by his voice and singing style, but I loved his horn. I rank him near Miles and Dizzy, but acknowledge he had quite a bit of competition on one of those instruments where many specialists have been heard.
His looks always made me think of James Dean, but so did dozens of others in those years. 
Yes, he’s one of the greats. His voice was pleasant and his phrasing very good. In fact, Antonio Carlos Jobim credits him as being an inspiration for the bossa nova sound. His horn playing was clear and clean, and his improv excellent. But I’m a huge fan of the West Coast sound, so have some prejudice in the matter.
The documentary was very self-serving on his part. He was a user not only of drugs, but also of people, and his personal life was a shambles. It’s still not clear whether or not his death was accidental or a suicide.
I respect him from a distance; simply not someone I actively seek out. For West Coast jazz, I am more inclined to listen to Gerry Mulligan (his work with Paul Desmond of Take Five fame is sublime) and Teddy Edwards (listen to Sunset Eyes and swoon).
For his tale of self destruction - well, I would rather listen to Charlie Parker or Art Pepper, who were similarly stupidly tortured, but whose music speaks to me more…
I hear ya. I like him when I hear him, and when I’m in the mood for a warmer sound, but usually prefer Clifford Brown or early Miles, Art Farmer or Diz on trumpet/flugelhorn. Still, there’s no denying his influence.
Very true about Chet, just not my guy.
Clifford Brown, what a loss.
<for non-jazz geeks, he died in a car accident at age 25: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_Brown>
He and Bud Powell are two of the biggest unsung heroes of jazz in my book.
I make no judgements on his lifestyle. God knows I have no right. I can see it being either way. And addicts, yeah they are users.
But I’m concerned only with his place in the history of jazz.
His place is solid. He was a prolific musician and there are endless albums of his out there. His stuff is excellent for someone who is interested in jazz, but not ready for Ornette Coleman. 
I’m certainly no historian as such, but I was there as a fan in the 50’s and Chet ranks highly with me. He, along with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond and a number of others continued the Cool School that had been started by Lester Young a decade earlier. Chet has to be evaluated in that context in spite of being hailed by none other than Charlie Parker as being one of the best bebop interpreters going.
His drift into pop singing and being a sex symbol probably distracted serious jazz fans from giving him more credit for his worth as a player, but he still ranks highly enough to have been a strong influence on trumpet people.
I really like his singing.
You might also try Matt Monroe.
How about Art & Chet together? Great music, great album cover.
Cool - never heard of it, but that album cover is…awfully silly. Love to check out the music though…
Judge for yourself how well Chet hangs with Bird: Bird and Chet. Charlie Parker and Chet Baker (shitty sound quality).
My take is that Baker basically rode into town on a James Dean wave and went downhill from there. He was foisted atop a pedestal before he really deserved to be and went downhill from there. Legendary? Iconic? Yeah, but not really all that great. More like tragic.
Totally disagree (except for the tragic part). Baker was playing with Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan before Dean ever burst onto the scene in 1955. His work with Mulligan, in particular, was outstanding. If anything, Baker’s career took a nose dive with jazz fans after his 1956 release of Chet Baker Sings, which most thought was just crooning without any real jazz licks.