Baker abandoned the trombone after a car accident in 1953 injured his jaw, but he began learning to play the cello in the early 1960s. Although he played trombone on the George Russell Sextet's album "Ezz-thetics" (1961), after sustaining the injury, Baker switched to cello for Charles Tyler's album, "Eastern Man Alone" (1967). Baker was also able to play trombone with Russell's orchestra on "Living Time" (1972), a collaboration with Bill Evans, before the jaw injury finally caused him to give up the trombone and focus on teaching and composition.