As though I had wings

the long version

Chet Baker dominated the jazz scene of the 1950s, working closely with the likes of Charlie Parker and Stan Kenton. By the sixties, however, he found himself caught in a downward spiral of heroin, cocaine, and prescription drugs. In and out of jail, in and out of relationships, crisscrossing the Atlantic in search of some sort of redemption - this is his account. Here, lush reminiscences of his early years give way to vivid scattered memories of women, jail terms, and of course - the one constant - the music. Throughout his life Chet returned again and again to the solace music offered, to the haven of his trumpet's smooth notes and his voice's low croon. Until this memoir, these recordings were all we had. Finally, Chet Baker has let us in, past the music right on to his soul.