SUCCESS in life and Experiencing the MAGIC -- it's EVERYWHERE

Chet Baker and Halima (his second wife)

at Redondo Beach CA 1955

photo by William Claxton

Chet Baker had this to say about Success:

"Discover what you love to do...

then do it better than anyone else!"

Great...

that he followed his own advice!

For Example - the song

ALONE TOGETHER

Chet never "practiced" with his horn...

he just PLAYED

He preferred songs with great lyrics

(like this one)

He played/sung those lyrics through his horn

He didn't need to "over-improvise"

He kept it PURE and SIMPLE and MAGICAL

His playing...

and singing...

ALWAYS drew us through a special doorway

into a Magical Realm

where ALL was Wonderful

was Perfect...

for a little while

ALONE TOGETHER - 1932

Arthur Schwartz (Music)

Harold Dietz (Lyrics)

Introduced in the 1932 Broadway Show -- "Flying Colors"

From the album "Chet" - on Riverside Records - recorded 1959 in NYC

Chet Baker (Tr)

Pepper Adams (BariSax)

Herbie Mann (Fl)

Paul Chambers (B)

"Philly" Joe Jones (Dm)

Bill Evans (P)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/owlgih5ulwnww6f/Chet%20Baker%20-%20Alone%20Together.mp4?dl=0

here's more of Chet's work -- the song TENDERLY AGAIN - see how Chet takes us from our ORDINARY days... through a tiny door that he opens for us... into a place of pure MAGIC where we can rejoice... and forget it all... for a little while... ONLY a little while this is a place of MAGIC and PURITY we humans can only stand... no make that... perhaps we humans only deserve... a few moments of such perfection... at a time? maybe it's too much of a good thing for us... for how we are? like a super-powerful drug? if we stay too long... we will start RUINING things "it's in our nature" as the scorpion said to the frog better perhaps... for us to go back home... then come back again... another day... for more of that MAGIC after we've "DIGESTED IT" and let it help to make us better! here's Chet's version of TENDERLY

another example of how he invites us into his MAGIC place and delights us... amazingly!

this great song - written in 1946 - music by Walter Gross - lyrics by Jack Lawrence performed here by the Chet Baker Quartet - in Paris in 1955 - the performers -- Chet Baker (Trumpet) -- Gerard Gustin (Piano) -- Jimmy Bond (Bass) -- Bert Dalhander (Drums) EnJOY https://www.dropbox.com/s/g9m6ertzf71qgl4/TENDERLY%20--%201946%20-%20Music%20by%20Walter%20Gross%20-%20Lyrics%20by%20Jack%20Lawrence%20--%20Performed%20by%20CB%20QUARTET%20in%20Paris%20in%201955%20-%20Chet%20Baker%20%28Trumpet%29%20-%20Gerard%20Gustin%20%28Piano%29%20-%20Jimmy%20Bond%20%28Bass%29%20-%20Bert%20Dalhander%20%28Drums%29.mp4?dl=0 <<< >>> and here's ANOTHER EXAMPLE of the MAGIC that Chet practices so well... (but from some different artists) that TAKES US AWAY... to a SPECIAL PLACE for a LITTLE WHILE a PLACE of... LOVE and BEAUTY and CREATIVITY and TOGETHERNESS and MUTUAL WONDER at each other's Specialness it's something that MANY... no i'd say ALL great artists do... in their own way they TAKE US AWAY -- TO A BETTER PLACE -- FOR A LITTLE WHILE EnJOY this beautiful rendition of Peter Halls' song DRIFT AWAY with Marcos Valle (Piano) - Stacey Kent (Vocal) and featuring Jim Tomlinson (Tenor Sax) (Stacey and Jim have been married and collaborating since 1991) all of these artists GET INTO A TRANCE-STATE and they PULL US IN AS WELL it doesn't last long... but it lasts PLENTY LONG ENOUGH sort of like when someone asked Woody Allen about ORGASMS he said "I've never had a BAD one -- each has been RIGHT THERE!) https://www.dropbox.com/s/msaqf81svy3ghga/Marcos%20Valle%20%26%20Stacey%20Kent%20-%20featuring%20Jim%20Tomlinson%20%28Tenor%20Sax%29%20--%20DRIFT%20AWAY%20-%20Music%20and%20Lyrics%20by%20Peter%20Hall%20--%20Live%20at%20Birdland%20NYC%20%282016%29.mp4?dl=0