ROB BEASLEY – Plays the Music of Chet Baker

Rob Beasley – Jazz Trumpeter 

Plays

The Music of Chet Baker

Throughout much of his life and continuing after his death Chet Baker became a cult figure. In the early 50’s Hollywood tried to groom him for an acting career, but Chet was always drawn more toward life on the road playing music. He became somewhat of teen idol in the early 50’s forming a Quartet with Gerry Mulligan which garnered significant popularity and a number #1 place in both Downbeat and Metronome magazine polls. He followed that with a quartet of his own and many recordings with Stan Getz, Art Pepper and even played with Charlie Parker for a short time. His vocal / instrumental version of the beautiful ballad “My Funny Valentine” became a huge hit in the 50’s, but serious drug addiction and arrests both in the U.S. and Europe eventually took it’s toll on his career. The decade of the 60’s brought poor choices and more hard times to his doorsteps eventually leading to broken marriages, prison time, and dangerous encounters with drug dealers. Through it all Chet kept his music first and foremost, making a comeback in the mid 70’s eventually leading up to the ultimate tragedy of his 1988 death in Amsterdam. He was found on the sidewalk below his hotel room, having fallen out of a second floor window. 

Chet Baker’s musical legacy is permanently etched in jazz history. Associated with both the cool jazz of the 1950’s and 60’s West Coast scene and New York’s vibrant jazz community of that same era, Chet Baker has become a legend who’s life was brilliantly portrayed in the 1988 documentary film “Let’s Get Lost”, released four months after his tragic death.

Santa Fe’s own Jazz trumpet player, composer and arranger Rob Beasley has proven his value as a young jazz master multiple times over. He is an acclaimed trumpeter, composer, arranger and is now teaching at the New Mexico School for the Arts. As an arranger/composer he has successfully launched his Band of Enchantment, a sixteen piece big band, showcasing his original compositions to sold out audiences in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. As a jazz trumpet player he has been raising many an eyebrow in Northern New Mexico with his beautiful tone and natural ability to tell a story with every solo he plays. In the last few years Beasley has appeared in the Drummin’ Man Gene Krupa show at SITE Santa Fe and at The New Mexico Jazz Festival, in addition to SOLD OUT shows featuring his own Big Band and his masterful trumpet playing. 

For this concert he will be accompanied by Bob Fox on piano, Gordon Johnson on  bass and John Trentacosta on drums.