Gerry Mulligan

[medjuck]

In the mid-60s Mulligan recorded for Limelight, a Mercury label.

I particularly like an album he made with Zoot Sims called Something Borrowed, Something Blue. I don't believe that it has ever been released on CD, but some tracks from it were included in a compilation, I believe the Compact Jazz cd.

One of those Verve "Jazz Round Midnight" has Davenport Blues from this session. Very influenced by the Gil Evans version. I'd love to hear more form this session.

[Brad]

If I had to pick two, it would be the Desmond and Hodges dates. Best for my money.

[brownie]

My favorite Mulligan recording probably is his 1957 Columbia big band version of "All the Things You Are," with a lovely solo by Don Joseph and a sublime orchestral out chorus. Don't know if it's on CD, but it can be downloaded here:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013AYCR8?tag=jazzcom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B0013AYCR8&adid=12NHGYH7VJFBH7V6H261&

That Mullenium is a Columbia CD release from 1998. Produced by Michael Cuscuna.

[BillF]

I like these very much.

Jeru - CBS (with Tommy Flanagan)

Yes, I have and like Jeru. Incidentally, it's obvious to me that the order of tracks listed both on the disc and the liner notes is incorrect; e.g. Track 1 is "Get Out of Town" and not "Capricious" as listed, but as I don't know all of the tunes I've never been able to work out what is the correct listing. Can anyone help?

[BillF]

If your tastes run to Mulligan the arranger, there was a great LP of just that title on which the best tracks IMHO were "Disc Jockey Jump" and "How High the Moon" by the Gene Krupa Orchestra of 1946, which included Gerry.

The Mulligan the Arranger LP also included the great "All the Things You Are" referred to above by Larry Kart.

[Stereojack]

Another sleeper is "Idle Gossip" on Chiaroscuro. There's a version of "Waltzing Matilda" that's just lovely!

[MartyJazz]

A rather interesting LP (Pausa) I'm listening to right now, but one that is certainly NOT essential, is this collaboration with Enrico Intra and other Italian musicians:

16-17 October 1975, Milan, Italy

Gerry Mulligan (bs,ss)

Enrico Barigozzo (fl)

Giancario Barigozzi (fl)

Pino Presti (vlc)

Enrico Intra (p,comp)

Sergio Farina (g)

Pino Prestipino (el-b)

Tullio de Piscopo (d,per)

plus strings

Edited February 1, 2010 by MartyJazz

[king ubu]

late to the party...

in my opinion these are essential:

Gerry Mulligan / Paul Desmond (Verve - get the old CD w/bonus tracks!)

Paul Desmond & Gerry Mulligan (RCA - get the Bluebird First Editions with bonus tracks!)

Gerry Mulligan / Ben Webster (Verve Master Edition 2CD set)

and the following are all very good, at least:

the two Paris Vogue discs

the two California Concerts

At Storyville

Mullenium

and in addition to the Blue Note 2CD set by the original Mulligan Quartet, you also ought to look for this one, which features a great tentet date, too:

And of course if you stumble over the Concert Jazz Band Mosaic, don't hesitate!

[Peter Friedman]

Though Mulligan himself is not present, this is an interesting CD.

The Gerry Mulligan Songbook - Chiaroscuro

with Bill Charlap, Ted Rosenthal, Dean Johnson & Ron Vincent

[The Rep]

So many of the great Mulligan recordings have been mentioned and the third jazz album I ever bought was Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond Quartet back in 1959, when I was sixteen. There is one that has not been mentioned that I like "Little Big Horn" released 1983 on GRP. Musicians, Dave Grusin, Richard Tee, Anthony Jackson, Jay Leonhart, Buddy Williams and Butch Miles.

Tracks all by Mulligan, Little Big Horn, Under A Star, Sun On Stairs, Another Kind Of Sunday, Bright Angel Falls and I Never Was A Young Man.

[zuma]

I'm surprised no one mentioned his meetings with Brubeck, but that always seems to bring out the naysayers. Mulligan told me he was very pleased with those records and enjoyed playing with Dave.

I second Ken. This recording shows that Mulligan/Brubeck is working band like Desmond/Brubeck. "Blessed are the poor" is one of my favorite tune. Mulligan shows up very latter part of this tune and his solo on this tune is one of best baritone solo IMO.

Edited February 1, 2010 by zuma

[A Lark Ascending]

Thanks again, everyone.

Lots to choose from here. I'll be following up some leads.

[kh1958]

I'm surprised no one mentioned his meetings with Brubeck, but that always seems to bring out the naysayers. Mulligan told me he was very pleased with those records and enjoyed playing with Dave.

On

I second Ken. This recording shows that Mulligan/Brubeck is working band like Desmond/Brubeck. "Blessed are the poor" is one of my favorite tune. Mulligan shows up very latter part of this tune and his solo on this tune is one of best baritone solo IMO.

On the LP front, the Brubeck album Roots with Mulligan is another to add to the collection.

[Bluesnik]

i enjoy your first mention a lot: the pianoless quartet with chet baker. this is some of the chet baker i like the most. but there are also other albums that are worthwhile. i have the mosaic box about the concert jazz band, which is quite good. it was a medium band, not really a big band.

[king ubu]

It's hard to go wrong with almost any Mulligan. A lot of great sides have been mentioned already. Although I've owned them for years, I recently rediscovered the three sextet albums recorded for Mercury/Emarcy, plus two LP's of outtakes issued in Japan. Are these covered by the Lonehill set?

I do not have the Lonehill reissues but I have the Fresh Sound 3CD set The Fabulous Gerry Mulligan Sextet'. A beautiful reissue which incorporates the full San Diego concert by the sextet and the sextet studio sessions, complete with the exceptions of several alternate takes ('Broadway', 'Demanton', 'Everything Happens to me' and 'The Lady is a Tramp') of their October 1955 session.

Gee, it's such a nuisance to figure out these details with Fresh Sound, Lonehill etc!

The San Diego is the same as on one of the Pacific "California Concert", right?

Because Fresh Sound also has a 2CD version with just the three studio albums and the same alternates that are on the 3CD set.

It does, btw, contain two takes each of "Broadway", "Demanton" and "The Lady Is a Tramp", but none of the two known from "Everything Happens to Me". But I guess these are the takes from different sessions? And the actual alternates are then (all, or mostly?) missing? What a mess!

[brownie]

Yes, the San Diego concert is the same one as the PJ California Concerts, vol. 2. The Fresh Sound box does not include the quartet items.

All the available alternate takes of the studio sessions were in the excellent three LPs series 'Mainstream of Jazz', vol. 1, 2 and 3 that came out on EmArcy Japan in the mid 80s. The material was researched by Kiyoshi Kayama.

[king ubu]

Thanks... will get the 2CD version then, without the San Diego set!

[Cliff Englewood]

If your tastes run to Mulligan the arranger, there was a great LP of just that title on which the best tracks IMHO were "Disc Jockey Jump" and "How High the Moon" by the Gene Krupa Orchestra of 1946, which included Gerry.

The Mulligan the Arranger LP also included the great "All the Things You Are" referred to above by Larry Kart.

Taking of Mulligan the arranger, I was looking at the notes for the RVG of the "Birth of the Cool" sessions and realised that Mulligan wrote 3 numbers (more that anyone else), arranged 6 (more that anyone else) and played on all 12 of the tunes (more that anyone else, except Miles, I think), although in the notes he wrote for one of the early re-issues of the material he gives Miles full credit for "creating" the "Group", I can't help but feel that it's almost as much a Mulligan record as it is Miles's.

Some good early Jeru on this one;

Edited February 5, 2010 by Cliff Englewood

[BillF]

If your tastes run to Mulligan the arranger, there was a great LP of just that title on which the best tracks IMHO were "Disc Jockey Jump" and "How High the Moon" by the Gene Krupa Orchestra of 1946, which included Gerry.

The Mulligan the Arranger LP also included the great "All the Things You Are" referred to above by Larry Kart.

Taking of Mulligan the arranger, I was looking at the notes for the RVG of the "Birth of the Cool" sessions and realised that Mulligan wrote 3 number (more that anyone else), arranged 6 (more that anyone else) and played on all 12 of the tunes (more that anyone else, except Miles, I think), although in the notes he wrote for one of the early re-issues of the material he gives Miles full credit for "creating" the "Group", I can't help but feel that it's almost as much a Mulligan record as it is Miles's.

Some good early Jeru on this one;

In this Jazzwax interview, in answer to the question, "Was "Deception" truly arranged by Davis? It sounds a lot like Mulligan", Gunther Schuller replies: "Look, Miles immediately learned from Gil and Gerry. In those days, very often, some other person's name was put on the ttle for one reason or another."

http://www.jazzwax.com/2010/01/interview-gunther-schuller-part-2.html

[Cliff Englewood]

If your tastes run to Mulligan the arranger, there was a great LP of just that title on which the best tracks IMHO were "Disc Jockey Jump" and "How High the Moon" by the Gene Krupa Orchestra of 1946, which included Gerry.

The Mulligan the Arranger LP also included the great "All the Things You Are" referred to above by Larry Kart.

Taking of Mulligan the arranger, I was looking at the notes for the RVG of the "Birth of the Cool" sessions and realised that Mulligan wrote 3 number (more that anyone else), arranged 6 (more that anyone else) and played on all 12 of the tunes (more that anyone else, except Miles, I think), although in the notes he wrote for one of the early re-issues of the material he gives Miles full credit for "creating" the "Group", I can't help but feel that it's almost as much a Mulligan record as it is Miles's.

Some good early Jeru on this one;

In this Jazzwax interview, in answer to the question, "Was "Deception" truly arranged by Davis? It sounds a lot like Mulligan", Gunther Schuller replies: "Look, Miles immediately learned from Gil and Gerry. In those days, very often, some other person's name was put on the ttle for one reason or another."

http://www.jazzwax.com/2010/01/interview-gunther-schuller-part-2.html

Thanks for the link Bill, I mean it's not like Miles to take credit for something he didn't do is it. :w

[Late]

I don't think this one has been mentioned yet:

While it might not be "essential" Mulligan, it's probably one of the best-recorded albums Mulligan made. The playing, especially Art Farmer's contributions, is near flawless — and very much in a "night lights" mood. Look for the Japanese import (which can still be had inexpensively), as it contains an essential bonus track with Mulligan on clarinet.

And another note on the "Mainstream of Jazz" alternates — they're worth their weight. I usually am not too excited when it comes to alternates, but in this case (especially with the alternate of "La Plus Que Lente") I'd call them must-haves. It's one of the few times where I find myself almost always preferring the alternates, which is strange.

(Another musician whose alternate takes I love is Joe Henderson. With Coltrane, there's "historical significance" in alternates, but with Mulligan and Henderson, at least for me, there's consistent music-making of the highest order.)

[Shrdlu]

You can't really go wrong with Gerry. It's all good, from his arrangements for Claude Thornhill onward.

I love the Concert Jazz Band material, and I have all of it: the Verves and the live concerts at Newport, Paris and some place in der Schweiz. (Aside: check out "Broadway", from the Paris concert [misnamed "Moten Swing"], where Willie Dennis plays an amazing trombone solo!)

I like all of the Limelight LPs. (I don't think any of these made it onto CD, although the Japanese probably snuck in some for the usual 6 months.) There, you will hear Gerry on clarinet (in the Pres manner) and even the alto. "Feelin' Good" is an especially lovely album; my copy, off of eBay, is very crackly and I'd love a clean copy of that.

Thanks for the tip about the "Night Lights" CD, Late. I've heard the LP, but never had my own copy. It's very hard to find a decent copy of the original.

I just had a look at that CD. The clarinet track is taken from the Limelight "Feelin' Good" LP. It is a wonderful performance.

Edited February 6, 2010 by Shrdlu

[A Lark Ascending]

Night Lights is gorgeous - turns up as part of the Sextet compilation on Lonehill too. A great 'Festive Minor' on it.

Have taken some of the recs here - the two Desmond duos, Storyville and the Columbia Jeru from download sources. THe Webster and that second hand Age of Steam that Jsngry linked to.

Should keep me busy for a while. Thanks again, everyone.

[Cliff Englewood]

This one is a lot better than I expected it to be, looking at the line-up is a bit deceiving as to how it actually ends up sounding, if you know what I mean. Anyone really interested in Mulligan the composer should check it out as it has a few excellent tunes that I don't think he did elsewhere, "For an Unfinished Woman", "Song for Strayhorn" and "K-4 Pacific"

[JSngry]

FWIW, "K-4 Pacific" was one of the highlights of the earlier Age Of Steam, "Song For Strayhorn" came back on several recordings from the 80s & 90s, and both it and "For An Unfinished Woman" got a big band reading on 1992's Walk On The Water.