Bruce Weber's excellent documentary about the life and career of jazz trumpeter/singer Chet Baker is filmed in dark, moody black & white, giving the entire film the ambience of a typical smoky jazz club at two in the morning. It's a fitting atmosphere for the story of this talented, tragic artist, who has become an almost mythical figure.
Chet Baker was not just a brilliant musician, but also one of the most iconic images of the 1950's, a young man described as a cross between James Dean and Jack Kerouac. He rose quickly in the jazz world, playing with legendary artists such as Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, and Stan Getz, and eventually finding success as a solo artist. He also became a heroin addict, a curse that would follow him through the years until his death in 1988 at only 58. Before that, there were numerous professional and personal conflicts, criminal charges, comebacks, various marriages and relationships, four children, and attempts at being free from his drug addiction.
The film begins in 1987. It shows Baker at recording sessions, interacting with friends, and being interviewed. It also goes back in time to show his younger days, including clips from several performances. Like most documentaries of this kind, there is a certain frustration in only being able to hear small parts of performances before someone begins a narration, or the scene changes to something else. However, near the end we get to hear the man sing a song all the way through. It's Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue", recorded specifically for this film. The camera stays in close-up on Baker's haggard, yet still strangely handsome face. The tone and strength of his voice is perfect, almost as if he is haunted and possessed by the troubled ghost of his younger self. His performance is mesmerizing and heartbreaking.
J. Hoberman of The Village Voice described the latter-day Chet Baker as "a seamy looking drugstore cowboy-cum-derelict". Maybe so. But the talent was still as vibrant as ever.
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