Gerry Mulligan Oral Autobiography

[Lazaro Vega]

(BLURB)

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/ihas/html/mulligan/gm-home.html

One of the most widely respected and admired jazz musicians of our time,

Gerry Mulligan occupies a unique place in the American musical scene. As

composer, arranger, performer and band leader, he has played a vital role in

the history of modern jazz and contemporary music.

This unique set of spoken recordings, taped in 1995, came to the Library of

Congress through the generosity of Gerry's wife, Franca R. Mulligan. Edited

and excerpted from hours of material, this unique look into Mulligan's

evolving musical career--from the "Birth of the Cool" recordings to the

Pianoless Quartet to his Concert Jazz Band and beyond--gives us the chance

to experience a very personal story of a man, musician, and innovator.

[Lazaro Vega]

Been reading through the printed transcripts on the web site. Haven't heard the tapes yet. Informative. His talk on counterpoint was insightful. And on playing with Chet.

[Ken Dryden]

I interviewed Gerry Mulligan over the phone in 1995. One thing that annoyed him was Jerome Klinkowitz' Gerry Mulligan: Listen, an inept discography/critique of his work. Mulligan reacted to the author's dumb comments about his "Lament For Two Clarinets" by explaining that "He thought I didn't like the instrument because there wasn't one heard in the piece. The reason was it was a lament for two clarinetists who had passed away." (Pardon me for forgetting which two they were, it's been a dozen years or so since I've played the tape.

He was also very supportive of Dave Brubeck and was pleased with his collaborations with the pianist.