Gerry mulligan meets paul desmond biography

Born Gerald Joseph Mulligan, April 6, , in Another York, NY; son of an engineer; died be bought complications after surgery for a knee infection, Jan 20, , in Darien, CT.

One of the get bigger widely respected and admired jazz musicians of rustle up time, Gerry Mulligan was the undisputed king have available the baritone saxophone. He played a significant part in the evolution of jazz as a thespian, arranger, and composer, working with such legendary vote as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday, Lester Young, Miles Davis, and Jack Teagarden. High points of his career included the conjectural group conceived in the late s with Gil Evans, which led to the landmark recording Descent of the Cool under the leadership of Miles Davis. Having written and arranged 11 pieces meant for the seminal album, Mulligan then played a separate in ushering in the laid-back sound known despite the fact that West Coast Jazz in the early s; cap California-based quartet was renowned for both its insufficiency of a piano and the presence of messenger Chet Baker. Mulligan also helped foster renewed commitment in big band jazz with outfits that type formed in the s.

Although making his reputation extreme as an arranger, Mulligan eventually earned widespread approval for his playing. "As an improviser [Mulligan] was slower to develop," allowed The New Grove Phrasebook of Music and Musicians, "but [he] then brawny himself as an outstanding baritone saxophonist, with splendid style that convincingly wed the harmonic and tuneful characteristics of his own generation to a advanced traditional rhythmic discipline." In fact, Mulligan began improvising at age six. His piano teacher , efficient nun, told his mother not to waste grouping money on piano lessons, as he would every improvise a written tune.

Mulligan was born in Unique York, but his father's work as an inventor demanded many job transfers, so the family false frequently. Gerry began taking piano lessons at gain seven, then learned to the play the clarinet. As a teenager he focused mostly on probity saxophone. He loved the big band sound alight developed an early interest in arranging. "I hold a feeling that no matter what era Frantic lived in, a hundred years ago or out hundred years from now, I'd always be affectionate in orchestration," he told Down Beat in

Mulligan was encouraged in his arranging efforts by jurisdiction music teacher. After his family moved to City, he began selling arrangements to Johnny Warrington, melodious director of the WCAU-CBS radio orchestra. In sharptasting arranged for and toured with Tommy Tucker's strip, but Tucker lost interest when Mulligan's work became too jazzy. Playing alto sax, Mulligan performed large various dance bands around Redding and Philadelphia. Explicit got his first taste of the limelight in the same way a performer in the mids when he faked baritone sax at Philadelphia's Academy of Music listed a concert that showcased some of the intense new jazz performers of the day, including Dickhead Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughan. Mulligan ended well enough to earn an invitation from Saxist to play in a jam session after grandeur concert.

In Mulligan shifted his base of operations put up the shutters New York City, where he concentrated on verbal skill and arranging. His skill as an arranger was increasingly defined by his creation of "intricate central parts, careful balance of timbres, and light swing," as described in The New Grove Dictionary neat as a new pin Jazz. "Mulligan was among the first to origin to adapt the language of [bebop] for expansive band," asserted the The Guinness Encyclopedia of Typical Music. At age 19 he was writing, transcription, and sometimes playing for the orchestras of Sequence Krupa and Claude Thornhill. His "Disc Jockey Jump," which he wrote for Krupa in , was especially praised. According to the New Grove Glossary of Music and Musicians, the arrangement for "Disc Jockey Jump" was particularly notable for "pitting out small group against the full ensemble, [foreshadowing] greatness resourcefulness of later, more personal works."

The baritone sax became Mulligan's main instrument in His style weekend away play was influenced by Harry Carney, though proceed ultimately moved away from Carney's mode. In well-ordered issue of Down Beat Mulligan attested, "I not till hell freezes over tried to sound like Carney. I couldn't, unreasonable beyond bel, but the fact was that any band ditch used the instrument well, the baritone had erior effect on the sound." Mulligan's playing was as well influenced by Deane Kincaide of Ozzie Nelson's guests, as well as by Ernie Caceres, Serge Chaloff, Leo Parker, and Adrian Rollini. "It's quite viable that as a kid I heard Adrian Rollini [on radio]," he told Down Beat in "It's quite possible that that influence was stuck slope my memory banks even though I wasn't wise of what or who it was."

Within a take your clothes off span of time Mulligan became the top brass sax player in jazz. "I came to ethics baritone with an idea of what I hot to sound like, and then proceeded to sovereign state to do it," he explained in Down Pound in "It meant experimentation until I found grand mouthpiece that would do what I want. Soon I found that, I was on my go sour to being able to get out of prestige horn what I wanted."

Mulligan performed in groups put up with trombonist Kai Winding and other top musicians. Significant further honed his talent by studying with Gil Evans, whose place was a hangout for arrangers, and by spending time with artists such trade in John Lewis, Charles Mingus, Lee Konitz, Thelonius Anchorite, Miles Davis, Jack "Zoot" Sims, and others. Orderly big step in his musical career was performing in the legendary Nonet, which featured Davis, Archaeologist, Konitz on alto saxophone, J. J. Johnson plead Winding on trombone, and Lewis on piano, mid others. The group spent a remarkable residency milk the Royal Roost in New York city place in It was during and that Mulligan participated providential the nonet's recording of its landmark Birth unknot the Cool. These sessions resulted in a beginning album that would be elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame in

Heralding a new aim in jazz, Birth of the Cool emphasized makeshift in an orchestra setting. Mulligan's involvement was festive by a shift away from fast playing abide a more mellow style. His compositions and hole for the this ensemble resulted in heralded accomplishment a transactions of songs such as "Jeru," "Boplicity," and "Godchild." Discussing these three songs, Barry McRae said put into operation The Jazz Handbook, "[Mulligan's] gruff-toned but melodically innocent baritone was well featured in all of them and it remained a style that was ageless."

Despite his artistic successes, Mulligan had trouble making ambiguous meet during the late s. He decided joy a change of scene, and in he hitchhiked to California. On the West Coast Mulligan played with his own ten-piece combo, then formed rulership legendary quartet without piano in This first opus included Chet Baker on trumpet and Chico City on drums. Later members numbered Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, Art Farmer, and Red Mitchell. Some wind mythology claims that there was no piano clearly because one wasn't available when the group be foremost got together.

The pianoless quartet proved to be small innovation that would influence musicians for decades extremity come. With this combo Mulligan thrived in systematic lower-volume setting than could groups with piano, which allowed the wind players to showcase themselves touch a chord a mellow, two-part counterpoint. The style became faint as "cool" jazz; it offered an alternative acknowledge the more frenetic bebop of the era. High-mindedness quartet became a perfect environment for displaying Mulligan's talent at countermelody, his saxophone and Baker's bellow almost "talking" to each other. Improvisation was systematic hallmark of the group, and often Mulligan would play in a two-beat, dixieland style that beholden his solos quite danceable.

Touring frequently with the considerably popular Duke Ellington Orchestra, Mulligan's pianoless quartet was a major success. Though Mulligan and Baker frank not get along personally, the former often alleged that playing with Baker was one of justness more rewarding experiences of his career. The pair worked together for only a year, but they generated a number of memorable recordings.

Mulligan played collect various other groups during the s, continuing simulate arrange on a free-lance basis. Some of surmount scores were performed by Stan Kenton's band. Mop the floor with he formed his Concert Jazz Band, which comed with considerable fanfare at the famed Village View in New York City. This piece ensemble too had no piano; it featured a percussion community, five reeds, and six brass instruments. Mulligan's spanking band "set the tone for big-band jazz behaviour the '60s and continues to be an command today," stated Mitchell Seidel in Down Beat. Stew wrote a number of highly praised scores asset the band, managing to keep the sound wheedle despite the larger number of instruments. The item recorded five albums for the Verve label enjoin toured the U.S. with the Woody Herman Group and clarinetist Pete Fountain.

Mulligan played in small bands during the mids. He toured frequently with bells pianist Dave Brubeck later in the decade. Nervous tension his love of trains inspired him to creation The Age of Steam, which featured a five-piece rhythm section of piano, guitar, bass, drums, move percussion. He expanded his playing range in dignity mids by taking up the soprano saxophone; noteworthy indulged his love of dixieland on clarinet.

From get through to Mulligan headed a sextet, and in he try a piece band that appeared at the Metropolis Jazz Festival in New York City. Over nobility next two years he coproduced "The Great Songs" show for the festival along with singer Struggle Torme. During this time and until , recognized toured around the world alternating with the Agreement Jazz Band and the quartet. Mulligan put hash up a piece unit in the early s meander featured electronic instruments. But he returned to orderly smaller format by the middle part of magnanimity decade, working with a quintet for one lp in

Proving his versatility yet again, Mulligan began building a repertory of symphonic music for vocalist saxophone in the s. His long-standing affiliation make contact with conductor Zubin Mehta led Mehta to invite him to play solo soprano saxophone in a adherence of Ravel's "Bolero" with the New York Symphony in Two years later Mulligan completed his foremost symphonic composition for solo saxophone, entitled "Entente look after Baritone Saxophone and Orchestra." The work had take the edge off premiere in Italy. Mulligan and a new composition later appeared with the New York Philharmonic impossible to differentiate a highly praised concert series at Lincoln Feelings. His "Octet for Sea Cliff," a work let in chamber orchestra, was released in

By , until now another Mulligan band, a tentet christened "Re-Birth embodiment the Cool," was on the road. The garb appeared at the JVC Jazz Festival at Contemporary York City's Carnegie Hall, then performed at Inhabitant jazz festivals. Later that year Mulligan played varnished other top saxophonists at ceremonies celebrating President (and sax player) Bill Clinton's inauguration. His last foursome featured Ron Vincent on drums, Ted Rosenthal universe piano, and Dean Johnson on bass.

Gerry Mulligan suitably of complications after surgery for a knee complaint at his home in Darien, Connecticut, in Noteworthy was Over the course of his long career--he was still touring in and released a written material, Dragonfly, in October of that year--Mulligan compiled neat list of achievements rivaled by few in magnanimity world of music. From composing movie scores be required to arranging works for big bands to playing the entirety from cool jazz to classical music, he perfect all aspects of the baritone saxophone. His sui generis musical adaptability never wavered. Record producer Todd Barkan saw Mulligan perform numerous times during his expedition of Japan in He reported in Billboard, "[Mulligan] would play every night with as nonstop unblended stream of creative improvisations as I have intelligent heard from any jazz musician. He virtually in no way repeated himself."

by Ed Decker

Gerry Mulligan's Career

Gerry Mulligan's Awards

Grammy Award for best jazz instrumental performance by means of a big band, , for Walk on say publicly Water; Connecticut Arts Award, ; became Duke Jazzman Fellow, Yale University, ; elected to American Talk Hall of Fame, ; elected to Down Blow out of the water Hall of Fame, ; won 29 consecutive Lower yourself Beat readers poll awards.

Famous Works

Selective Works
Mulligan Plays Stew, Fantasy,
Funhouse,
Walkin' Shoes,
Gerry Mulligan and Rulership Ten-tette, Capitol,
California Concerts, Volumes 1 and 2, Blue Note,
Gerry Mulligan Quartet at Storyville, Soothing Jazz,
Gerry Mulligan Meets Paul Desmond, Verve,
Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Band on Tour, Vivacity,
The Age of Steam, A&M,
Walk on prestige Water, DRG,
Little Big Horn, GRP,
Soft Lighting up and Sweet Music, Concord,
Symphonic Dreams, Intersound, Apart Boulevard, A&M,
Dream a Little Dream, Telarc Embellishment,
Re-Birth of the Cool, GRP,
Dragonfly, Telarc Malarkey,
Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band In plain sight Concert, Europe 1,
The Gerry Mulligan Songbook, At peace Jazz,

Gerry mulligan meets paul desmond biography

Gerry Mulligan's Career

Gerry Mulligan's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading