In 1966, Chet Baker was beaten so badly outside a gig in Sausalito that he lost most of his teeth.
For a trumpet player, that’s game over.
He spent the next several years off the scene entirely. Welfare. A gas station job. His trumpet case sitting in the corner. Then he started again from nothing.
Long tones first. Single notes, held for minutes at a time. Then scales, so slow they barely resembled music. Everything he had built over twenty years was gone. He was relearning with a rebuilt mouth, different muscles, artificial teeth.
It took until 1973.
The recordings he made in the years that followed — fragile, barely-there, almost whispering — are some of the most emotionally devastating in jazz.
[📸 Chet Baker by Michiel Hendryckx, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]
09MAY26 A few vids & pics from WOOTEN SUMMER BASH 2026 ‼️ We want to thank everyone who came out to support this event, your love and energy are forever appreciated. We were blessed to have a lineup of straight up KILLERS with us - shoutout to @the_shrumkloud , and @eedwards7891 with GREEN!
Would love to put a mini tour together with this HIGH VOLTAGE ⚡️lineup. Grateful for all you fellas support.
Also, shoutout to our officially unofficial 5th man @ghoulishgremlinboy for documenting 👊💥
See you this coming Saturday FT. WORTH 🤘🎸
⚡️MAY 16th ⚡️We’re PSYCHED to be opening for @theinfamists alongside @grande1usion at Ft. Worth’s @riverbottomspub ‼️ This one’s been a long time coming and promises to KICK SOME ASS so, if you’re in the area, come through and show some LOVE! 🤘🎸🔥
Flyer features artwork courtesy of the great @richcali 👊✨
‼️ WOOTEN SUMMER BASH ‼️May 9th, in the lobby of the historic Hotel Wooten in downtown Abilene!
LIVE MUSIC - FOOD TRUCKS - BYOB - PUBLIC EVENT
Featuring the Heavy Rock sounds of local artists @the_shrumkloud , @pipedogband , and @eedwards7891 band G R E E N !
🚨7PM - 10PM 🚨 COME THROUGH 🫵🫵🫵
Flyer by @estebanondrums
25APR26 ‼️ Thank you, ARLINGTON! And all the cool folks a @growl_records_tx for having us out to play last night. This is a GREAT venue, we’re already looking forward to being back there at the end of next month.
Special thanks to @kingotterband for the invite! Awesome to watch you guys and @the.fault.lines completely CRUSH! 💯
Another night of KICKASS music in the metroplex; sharing the stage with real artists doing real shit is both a privilege and a pleasure 👊💥
Shout out to our brother Damon @ghoulishgremlinboy for capturing pics and clips of our set 🍻✨
![In 1966, Chet Baker was beaten so badly outside a gig in Sausalito that he lost most of his teeth.For a trumpet player, that’s game over.He spent the next several years off the scene entirely. Welfare. A gas station job. His trumpet case sitting in the corner. Then he started again from nothing.Long tones first. Single notes, held for minutes at a time. Then scales, so slow they barely resembled music. Everything he had built over twenty years was gone. He was relearning with a rebuilt mouth, different muscles, artificial teeth.It took until 1973.The recordings he made in the years that followed — fragile, barely-there, almost whispering — are some of the most emotionally devastating in jazz.[ Chet Baker by Michiel Hendryckx, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons]](https://sp1.picnob.com/p/pt_6727643534715421603839_0_8ea817280af5249e070d89481db5eac6.jpg?o=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&h=a0a3554016fd905a7224a323181c2dae)
