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Chet Baker: Speedball is an exploration, theatrically and musically, into the life of iconic jazz trumpeter and singer Chet Baker. Following sold-out performances at Oval House Theatre in February, the production moves to the 606 Club in London, one of Europe's best jazz clubs, and features in the London Jazz Festival 2007. A legend of the 1950's West Coast 'cool' school, Chet Baker was seen as the great white hope of jazz, but ultimately his devotion was only to drugs. Chet Baker: Speedball explores the life of this iconic musician, from the night of his fatal fall from an Amsterdam hotel window back to the famed audition for Charlie Parker that set his turbulent career in motion. Chet Baker: Speedball was conceived and created by artists from three disciplines - directing, writing and composing - collaborating to find a new and exciting integration between text, music and performance. Taking an ambiguous, fragmentary approach and incorporating jazz-like repetition and improvisation, stories share the stage with jazz songs, spoken lyrics jostle with diary extracts and documentary footage. The result is a unique interplay of theatre, live music and performance, blended with the dexterity of a late-night jam session.

Creatives/Company

Author: Mark O'Thomas

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2007 (1 listings)