Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame Bop drummer, composer, lyricist, and vocalist Artt Frank is one of the few authentic bop musicians on the scene today. He is best known for his friendship and professional association with trumpet immortal, Chet Baker, with whom he worked for many years. Michael Armando, jazz musician and President of MJA Records, says of Chet Baker: The Missing Years: A Memoir by Artt Frank, "Artt tells it like it was, what it was like being a friend and a drummer for this great legend Chet Baker ... When reading this book for the first time it is almost like you are being drawn into a time warp going back into time. Artt Frank takes you from the dark back alleys of drugs and despair to the shinning genius of Chet's playing smoke filled clubs and the streets ... If you are a musician you will cherish it after reading it. Non-musicians will learn how great Chet Baker was and how great a friend drumming great Artt Frank was to Chet. The truth will set you free and Artt Frank has done this with his memoir. Amen... I give this book 10 stars..." As reviewed by premiere jazz journalist and critic, Doug Ramsey, this memoir "...shows us sides of the great trumpeter that few people knew. In gripping detail, he [Artt] tells of the well-known drama in Baker's life-the sudden fame, the struggle with drugs, the effects of a beating that almost ended his career. But Artt gives us new insights into Chet's warmth, his love of family, his steely determination and the early emergence of his astonishing talent...This is a book of revelations." "Chet Baker: The Missing Years is perhaps the most accurate account of Chet's life and true spirit to date. Superbly written by Artt Frank ... the book gives fresh insight into the man behind the music. A must-read for everyone from the casual jazz fan to the serious student of jazz history." -- JB Dyas, PhD, VP, Education and Curriculum Development, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz
About the Author: Artt Frank, bop drummer/composer, and author, is best known for his long-term association with Chet Baker, with whom he collaborated for over 20 years. Artt has also worked with an impressive list of jazz luminaries over the past sixty years including the great Charlie Parker, Tadd Dameron, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Jimmy Heath, Al Cohn, Ted Curson, and many others, including one memorable night with the great singer, Billie Holiday. In 2004, Artt completed his book "Essentials for the Be Bop Drummer" with Pete Swan and published by Tim Schaffner, publisher (and drummer!) of Schaffner Press, Inc. Artt Frank was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in November, 2010. He currently lives in Green Valley, Arizona with his wife, Lisa Frank.