National Network for Equitable Library Service

Pianist Evan Horne’s European interlude lands him a gig in Amsterdam, where the old jazz clubs are alive and well. But here he unexpectedly finds himself reliving the last days of legendary trumpeter Chet Baker, who died under mysterious circumstances. Did Baker fall from a hotel balcony or was he pushed? The answers lead Horne on an odyssey into one of the greatest mysteries of the jazz world and beyond. Horne’s longtime buddy Ace Buffington, in Amsterdam researching the late jazz great’s life and tragic death, has disappeared. Ace’s trail parallels that of Baker’s last days, so Horne does what he does best: improvise. He finds himself following the same path into Baker’s dark, even dangerous, past and confronting his own deep-rooted melancholy. In the smoky clubs and on the mean, exotic streets of Amsterdam, Horne hits all the right notes in a world where playing it by heart can make you a legend as easily as it can get you killed.