DAVID Goldthorpe might take to the stage every night to play Chet Baker’s music, but he never set out to impersonate the well-known jazz artist.
Instead he puts on a show which reveals the highs and lows of the trumpeter, vocalist and notorious junkie’s life.
Goldthorpe (pictured) will bring his show Chet Baker – Like Someone In Love to Wyndham Cultural Centre at 8pm Saturday.
He describes the show as a unique piece of jazz theatre and says it will allow people to relive Baker’s hits, which include My Funny Valentine.
Goldthorpe, who has been performing the show for six years, says he was first introduced to Baker’s music by the film The Talented Mr Ripley.
After watching it, he bought one of Baker’s albums. “I remember being initially disappointed that it didn’t have any singing but I grew to love the trumpet playing.
“[Baker] has an amazing voice and tone. I like the thoughts behind his music and the simplicity. A lot of jazz artists are about high notes and showing off but Chet’s music isn’t like that.”
Goldthorpe says while he always admired Baker’s trumpet playing, he didn’t learn to play the instrument himself until after the first performances of the show were booked.
“I never had the discipline to learn. It wasn’t until I had locked everything in and booked a venue in 2006 that I decided I had to learn.
“I locked myself in a room for six weeks with some Chet Baker albums and taught myself enough to play a few songs in the first shows.”
Since then, the show has evolved and now includes a jazz band which performs the second half of the show with Goldthorpe.
One thing that hasn’t changed is Goldthorpe’s commitment to interpreting Baker’s life and music.
“It was important that I presented a real presentation of his life. I watched a lot of interviews and video footage of Chet, so a lot of the lines in the show are what Chet actually said.
“He started to write his memoirs … I read them and that helped me to understand Chet’s thoughts on a lot of what happened.”
Tickets: 97419500.
