Gerry Mulligan:: One of the Greatest Ever
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- čas přidán 10. 05. 2023
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Gerry Mulligan was such a master at jazz improvisation that he didn't need a piano or guitar in his quartets! He played so well, when you listen to those recordings, you never miss the comping instrument! Let's explore his career and talents from Birth of The Cool to his small group arranging!
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Check out the track listing for the Mulligan Meets Getz Album, they actually switched horns on the first three tracks, including Too Close For Comfort. That wasn't Mulligan getting mean on the bari on that track, it was Getz!
Yes I’ve since learned that!! So cool!
That is a brilliant record, 2 volumes. He brought the best out of Getz imho. I love the instrument swap on Too Close For Comfort.
Gerry Mulligan is the GOAT. He's the reason the bari sax is my favorite instrument. 😁
I've been liking the bari more and more, it's almost becoming my favourite saxophone.
@@rafaelfernandeslopesdeoliv1700 It's my favorite. I played alto and Bari. Bari just has the best sound of them all. I think tenor sounds better than alto but I never played it.
@@LegalTyranny is it tiring to play? With the weight and the amount of air. I only play alto.
@@rafaelfernandeslopesdeoliv1700 Oh yeh it'll wind you. I think the longer you play and work on breathing exercises and technique you can reduce the issue but it'll never be as easy as the alto. If you've never played but have the chance you have to try. When you hear and feel those sounds and how easy you can transition from alto to bari due to fingerings you'll absolutely want to give it a go. I honestly didn't want to go back to alto after the bari. If I had to play today, I'd pick up the tenor though, even though I never played it, it has the best of both worlds: good sound and less work on the lungs. The bari. is good for a young guy or someone who is very healthy at an older age. I've got too many health issues to be playing now.
In 1953 I bought my first Mulligan album, a 10" transparent, red vinyl, Fantasy album. I've still got it.
I have a 10" original Capitol Recordof the Lennie Tristano Sextet with Buddy DeFranco on the B-side
I saw mentioned in a reply the 1957 session "Mulligan Meets Monk." It's phenomenal - showcases precisely the strengths of Mulligan's mastery described in the video. Fortunate that meeting occurred, and that the experience is preserved.
Mulligan Meets Monk has the best version of 'Round Midnight ever recorded. Mulligan's solo is transcendental.
Claude Thornhill and Gerry Mulligan together is something more people need to hear. As you say, that combination was one of the major launching points for modern jazz.
BIG MULLIGAN FAN. Thank you, Aimee for this!
"Summit" album by Astor Piazzolla and Gerry Mulligan is one of the best records ever created. Impossibly beautiful music...
I agree 100%. Have been listening to it for many years. Never found anything comparable.
Mulligan's lines are incredibly beautiful. I remember Tom jobim saying mulligans was the most impressive musician he ever encountered. He said Mulligan would listen once to his songs and played them perfectly the second time.
Just lovely so relaxed thanks madam Regards Andre Netherlands
Thx Aimie. Somehow you cover the subjects and people I really wanted to dig into a little more and learn about, from the Beatles, Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), and also Blues and Jazz which I shamefully avoided many yrs ago instead of taking the plunge. I think Jazz just scared me a little when I was 18 yrs young. Now I can't get enough, and it was the same for Classical music back then too. Pls keep these great videos going along with your other content🙂
Thanks so much. I kind of needed that today! 🙌🏼
I play classical piano, mainly Bach. Mulligan’s use of counterpoint has been a kind of gateway for me to understand what Jazz is all about. I imagine that he would be one of JSB’s favorite jazz players.
😀
Two of a mind with Desmond was the reason I got into jazz
It really is like one person playing two things
If Getz had been there too it would have been too much to handle
I am still knocked out by it decades later and could sing all the solos😂
Great video! When I started listening to jazz, I didn’t really pay attention to Mulligan. Wasn’t into the baritone sound. Lately, I’ve really been enjoying his music & want to check out more of it.
Claude Thornhill Snowfall is so gorgeous, Ive loved learning about the connection between him and Gerry Mulligan
Hi Aimee, Thanks for this piece on Gerry Mulligan. I feel a little less ignorant, and certainly, more interested in listening for his playing.
Mulligan combined counterpunctual melodies to form the harmonic language of the so-called cool jazz. It’s like hearing Bach. I love his Line for Lyons arrangement, I love these harmonic lines. Great tune! This is a great video and I thank you for that. You gave a voice to my musical thoughts. Thank you, Aimee!❤
The first song of the show at Bern 1990 is one of my absolute favorite Mulligan performances. Ring around the bright star! Mulligan, sitting in with Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, along with Chet Baker at the Carnegie Hall, rarely leave my disk player! Thank you for validating these memories!
home run!
Haveyou heard or listened to Alma Deutscher? She is a young woman currently living in Vienna. She's a classical violinist/pianist/composer and most recently conductor. She says that when she hears music in her head, she hears the harmonies, all the parts before she sets anything down on paper. This is how she's done 1 violin concerto, 1 piano concerto, a couple of waltzes and 2 complete operas--and a sold out concert at Carnegie Hall when she was . Being in the classical world, she was responsible for what everyone's lines--and she heard it all in her head, before she wrote anything down (at age 15 or less.)
The "Mulligan Meets Monk" album was one of the first albums I poached from my mom's record collection
The dude was there in the day. Monster player. As real as it gets. Good on ya for featuring him. And - I known it’s about the music maestro- but you look amazing (Did ya lighten the hair? Surfing in the sun ya Cali gal?) Anyway as always - luv ya! Thank you Madam.
Thanks man!! Bunch of surfing and dropped about ten pounds🙌🏼
@@AimeeNolte 😎😎
That bari sax is so excellent .
I love his solo in "You've Come Home", so fine!
I'm 72. When I was 11 (and throughout my teen years), I used to play my dad's records, and two sax players were the guys who I wanted to be like when I grew up, and that was Gerry Mulligan and Paul Desmond (and you can add Stan Getz and Chet Baker) as some of the greatest improvisors of all time. the year was ''62, I remember it well. I mean, it's like you are recounting my childhood years here. I started in on sax but by the time I reached 17, the guitar and it's harmonic possibilities took over, as I found out I was a better songwriter than improvisor.
I love your 'essays' on musicians and I really love your enthusiasm for music.
Thank you.
The group at North Sea is what I saw live that same year, wow. I may be old, but I got to see so many greats.
Thank you Aimee and greetins from german-switzerland. It was a very informative Video in history of jazz and his protagonists.
Fantastic video, thank you madam ❤
I got to meet him briefly at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho in the 90s. I got to ask him about one of my favorite of his pieces, Theme for Jobim, and if I could get the piano sheet music. He said to let his assistant know, which I did.
I thought it was a cool experience until a few weeks later when I got an envelope in the mail with a note, a lead sheet, and a piano arrangement.
They say never meet your heroes, but Gerry Mulligan was the exception to that rule.
My father was not a musician but loved good players like this. Will get it on my playlist for sure
This is a great episode, Aimee! And in addition to Gerry’s amazing sound, solos, swing feeling, and orchestrations - his improvised counterpoint behind Chet, Desmond, Konitz, and others - was extraordinary too!
Thanks for shining more light on the musical genius. By the way, in the photo of the Birth of the Cool session, that's Lee Konitz with Miles and Gerry, not Lennie Tristano (Konitz being one of his most well known students).
Thank you, Aimee, amazing video.
I had the privilege to hear Mulligan in Chicago, about 1978 (wow, 45 years ago). He had a small group of about 6-8 musicians. Did have piano on stage because he played it on one tune.
Most amazing that with a medium-sized group, his arrangements were so full that it almost sounded as large as Count Basie, whom I had heard about 5 years earlier.
And if that wasn’t enough, as a musical coda he was joined for a few songs by the great Mel Torme. Mulligan’s charts, of course.
So cool!!!
Love all things music history, so fun connecting all the dots!
Great video, thanks Aimee!
Already watched on Nebula. Great video, no surprise. Thank you Aimee.
I remember my uni's jazz band recruiting me because they needed a tuba player who had experience with jazz to play on The birth of the cool, and i remember falling in love with the bari sax. Without knowing I always had a love for Gerry Mulligan's sound since I first discovered jazz.
In addition to hot bebop, Mulligan wrote some beautiful ballads. "Golden notebooks" is my favorite. His original manuscript is available to view on the library of congress webpage.
I see in the comments that several people make the comparison with Bach of these special musicians. I am thinking the same thing.
These are some of the late greats. They couldn't leave us much by way of instructional videos but some of today's greats can and do. Victor Wooten comes to mind.
Aimee, you talk about 'leaving' space. Mr. Wooten talks about 'playing' space. I see it the same way. For me, the spaces I play are just as much a part of the melody I play as they are of the rhythm. Equally, my spaces are a part of the melodies and rhythms others are playing. It only works when everyone is listening as much as we play or listening MORE than we play.
Mulligan talks about a piano getting in his way. As a Bass player, I find that some do and some don't. Some seem to bounce off me with the left hand and off others with the right. I guess these would be the ones who listen more. 🙂
While I don't play at anywhere near the level of these you mention, I get what you are saying; even to go so far as to say, it's kinda obvious.
To put it another way,; If we listen enough to enjoy what others are doing (saying) and let them shine, finding something that fits comes more naturally and often times shines more brightly than anything we could have thought of if we were thinking............
Brubeck and Desmond had some pretty sweet conversations. Brubeck was brilliant at not getting in the way of Paul Desmond.
Fascinating and awesome video Aimee!
Another fantastic offering, you are a great educator, love this!
I love Mulligan, and I learned a lot here - thank you!
Really nice, insightful look into someone's music you obviously care deeply about. Very enjoyable and educational at the same time, Aimee. Thanks!
Thanks, Aimee, you've done it again. You've taken someone I've loved my whole musical life, and helped me understand why I love them so much! ❤
Fantastic explanation and overview Aimee! Demonstration of knowledge and your applied expertise blows other presenters out of the tube!! Thanks for the recommendations-love your work!
Never heard of him. Have now
AIMEE!!! MY DAD💔, & l listened to jazz & classical when l was an embryo. Because of MY DAD💔 who was a ‘purist’! 😆l’m a professional muso too. Jazz players are the BEST in the world. People have NOOO idea what goes into jazz in general.l find it funny & ignorant that some dudes say ‘if you make a mistake, you’re playing jazz! PFFFT! Just tells you how much they DON’T KNOW. All these guys are like ‘family’ to me. I’m stoked you’re listening to jazz AIMEE. ❤️ I’m lucky, all my life; to have had my grandparents & parents adoring this music. There’s SO MANY brilliant jazz guys; you need to have to listen to them most of your life to ‘get it’. ( l’ve been told!) The first gig l went to was when l was 3yrs old to hear DAVE BRUBECK. I remember so much of it. EUGENE WRIGHT on Bass is my Godfather. I lost my DAD💔, Uncle Eugene’, same year , 2020. 😢 These records you’ve mentioned, l have them. I have a terrific record called ‘EAST MEETS WEST’. Trading ones is prolific in jazz!! Honestly, THANK YOU for giving them the CREDIT they deserve. ( you only found 25!?) 😃 😆 I don’t like TRAD ( my Uncle loved it); or ‘3rd stream’ . Me, not sitting there next to PA💔talking about jazz, has broken me. But, l know my PA💔 wouldn’t want that. He left me over 30,000 records (78s of course !) plus tapes, cds, videos & a MAD SOUND SYSTEM. I don’t feel so alone now AIMEE! 😃 My Mum played alto sax, l play piano & guitar, & teach. I’m excited that you have put this up AIMEE !!!! BRAVO !!!! 😄😉😁🎷🎹🎸🥇
Thanks so mucho for this wonderful video! Very interesting and informative
👍🏻 i love the music from this era, great video
Great Topic I Love It.
Among my favorite tracks are the two takes of Chelsea Bridge from the recording Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster (Complete). Raise the hairs on my arms those two do.
Thanks for educating me on Gerry Mulligan. Somehow, he's flown under my radar even though I'm a fan of most everyone he's played with. Hey, if you're ever looking for another player to explore, I would love to hear more about Paul Desmond. To me, he is a masterful improviser as well. Very lyrical and interesting to listen to. Thanks again, Aimee. You're a real asset to the Web and jazz!
love your content
Thanks Aimee, for your appreciation, analysis and enthusiasm about Gerry Mulligan. I’ve been a fan and collector since my high school days, (I’m 68 now), ever since I borrowed vinyl from my local library. I think the first two discs I heard were “… meets Ben Webster” and “meets Johnnie Hodges”. One of the things I’ve always appreciated is the melodicism of his improvising, as well as the beautiful counterpoint that was always apparent. He had the bebop chops, but it was never just about the changes; always anchored in a sense of the melody and the best aspects of swing. I was also privileged to see him live at least twice. My CD and vinyl collection was damaged in a flood after Ida; you’ve inspired me to see what of my media can be washed up and potentially rescued, and to start with Gerry.
On a completely different topic, the jazz artist I saw live the most as a youth was Stephane Grapelli; every time he came around locally, (I’m a Philly suburbs boy), I made a point of getting tickets on the theory each time that it might be the last time I got to see him. Mulligan died tragically young, at least from my perspective as a geezer. So I’m grateful for his huge body of recorded work.
Great stuff, Aimee! I played with a wonderful bari sax player named Marc Rosen, who's a yuuuge Gerry Mulligan fan. Since I was there we would do things like Anthem and K-4 Pacific, but sometimes when we lacked a trumpet I would just play the one-note Chet Baker line, harmonizing with Marc. I liked the sound of the two moving melodies and resisted the urge to add other harmonies or chords. It was a great sound.
Even today, one of my favorite things to do when we're running down the form is to suddenly stop comping when a new soloist takes a turn. I let them build up in their own style and stay out of their way for a bit. Gerry's style helped cement this habit. I love building each solo into its own little story, like taking the audience on a little trip.
So cool
Thanks Aimee for sharing your passion for Mulligan's music. He was a master at weaving very interesting lines when someone else is playing a melody. I love his line supporting Chet Baker in Moonlight in Vermont. I live in Sweden, and there was another baritone player who played incredible music especially in the 1950s: Lars Gullin. Check him out if you like Mulligan and his improvsing. His son, Peter Gullin, also a great great bariton saxophonist. It is really good to hear someone appreciating good and interesting music.
He was top notch...like Desmond, BrookMeyer...
Nice to hear the props for Gerry.
Guys who weren’t boppers or adopters of the styles that built on bop tend to be downplayed by the critics-think Mulligan, Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry-but are rather popular with jazz fans.
I saw Gerry Mulligan many moons ago at a ballet venue, Jacob's Pillow, in the Berkshires in Becket, MA. (I don't remember if he had a piano or not). For a couple summers they brought in some top jazzers. I was lucky enough to see Sonny Rollins and the Wynton Marsalis Quintet there too. Anyway, Gerry performed some exciting, sophisticated music that night. I still remember how he looked at that time . . . tall, long white hair and wearing a beautiful white suit. I felt like a cool adult just watching and listening to him. Good times.
Oh that’s rad!
I've loved Gerry Mulligan's music since my mom had the Mulligan-Chet Baker "Reunion" album when I was a kid. Among the many justifications he gave over the years for not using a pianist in his bands was that the early New Orleans jazz bands, which had played while either marching or riding in wagons, hadn't used pianos either. One of Mulligan's great strengths was his versatility; he could play Dixieland, swing, bebop and cool with equal facility. One of my favorite Mulligan recordings is Billie Holiday's "Fine and Mellow" from the CBS-TV special "The Sound of Jazz," recorded December 8, 1957. In a band otherwise made up of swing all-stars like Roy Eldridge and Doc Cheatham on trumpet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, and Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Ben Webster on tenor sax, Mulligan comes in with a solo that uses modern-jazz devices but still fits in perfectly.
Thank you!
I played bari sax all through high school. I miss it so much.
The only con to the bari was it could be neck breaking from it's weight. It's sound made up for that. It's so much better than the alto which I played 8 years. Did the Bari for 2 years.
I love the way early N.O. jazz musicians improvise together creating instant counterpoint. As I’ve gotten to know Mulligan’s music I realize he was one who carried that into more modern jazz. Joe Pass and Herb Ellis sometimes did similar things. I’ve tried it myself. It’s not easy!
Thought I'd let you know where I started: Blues in Time and Quartet vI. As expected, the choices you provided were all wonderful so I had to restrain myself and budget for this month!
The versatAlity
BEN WEBSTER!!! Whoo Whee❗
Check out BLUE BOY by Mulligan. Great duo with piano. BTW That's Tommy Flanagan on piano.
Please , 😎, continue to share your 🎶obsessions, Maestro, Ms. Aimee! Whoo whee : Gerry Mulligan !
Gerry Mulligan ay! Oh, OK then! Off I go then! 😊
Great. Gerry could really express harmony very clearly w/o piano or guitar. Just on side note, Joel Frahm, a great alto saxophonist can also do that very well IMO. Thanks for sharing. 4:22 - that's actually Lee Konitz next to Miles. And thanks for all the great Mulligan examples and suggestions throughout, there's still tons of his music I have yet to discover.
Joel might be my favorite living improviser 😍
Aimee, at 4:22 you’ve labelled the pic Davis with Lennie Tristano and Gerry Mulligan… oops… not Tristano but his most famous pupil, Lee Konitz! One of my fave albums is Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Lee Konitz. Mulligan, Konitz and Chet Baker in one band… too much!
Ahh yes. Thanks for that
Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh (also a piano player), my idols, were very fussy about pianists. Both recorded a lot without a pianist.
NB. Nice to see Bob Brookmeyer, valve trombone, in the footage.
PS. Blues in Time is superb.
PPS. Decided to listen to Birth of the Cool again. It seems to me that Mulligan during solos sounds very bebop oriented. Konitz doesn’t. Just my thoughts. Miles was sort of indifferent to some work he did with Lee at the same time: Hibeck, Odjenar, Ezzthetic. That music was sensational and - this is just my opinion - had in the fullness of time and causal consequence - a greater influence on the development of jazz than Birth of the Cool. Personally, as a matter of taste, I prefer the linear style of, say, Konitz and Marsh to Getz’s rabble-rousing. All brilliant musicians. But the very late 20th century vindicated (if vindication was needed) the ideas that fell out of the so-called Tristano school. Mulligan, however one slices the cake, was a genius and whilst I don’t particularly like the general swinging rhythm section, if I have to listen then let it be Gerry Mulligan. He brought out the best in his peers.
Terrffic informational video with very interesting highlights.
Good afternoon Aimee, I appreciate all the jazz stuff you cover on your channel. Do you have anything for classical piano or plan to do anything with classical piano in the future? Like going over fingering on classical stuff
No - but the closest thing I have is my Piano Yoga playlist.
Hello Aimee! Gerry is one of my heroes but do you have hear Serge Chaloff? i invite you to hear "Boston Blow Up" is so nice and with so energie...congratulations siempre te sigo en todos tus videos...Gracias!!!
U hear about W coast when you notice arrangers V composers- strayhorn, hefti v Duke & CB then fog clears-Gerry shows- vox barry 1st. 2nd stop telling yourself he’s Mr Coast. From Then It’s buffet style listening
At 4:21 I think that's Lee Konitz, not Lennie Tristano.
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT is mentioned as Gerry getting aggressive. In fact on "Side 1" it's Getz on Baritone and Gerry on Tenor. Don't believe me? then check the sleeve. So it's Getz getting aggressive. Gerry is my favourite Baritone player and Getz my favourite Tenor (especially in the 1950s). Interesting analysis by Aimee though.
You know, I saw that somewhere. But then it seems like I read something that negated it.
@@AimeeNolte Hi Aimee (great channel - I wish I played piano - a bit late at 75!). I'm obsessed with Stan Getz and have 40+ CDs of his. There are hardly any licks that are typical Stan but there is just one that he uses a lot. At 3.51 on "let's fall in love" he plays a blues lick that comes up time and time again but this time it's on Baritone. The nice thing about having the CD and not streaming is you get the sleeve notes. "...Mulligan suggested at one juncture that they trade horns, so you find on one side of the album Getz plays Baritone and Mulligan plays tenor... Norman Grantz". "Side one" is great but there's a definite lift when "side two" starts. ...and then there's Getz's tone. 25 year old Getz's 1952 version of Body and Soul is my favourite (UK spelling!) version of the song - worth a listen.
Hey Aimee. What about the Monk/Mulligan album. Arguably, calling Monk a "piano player" doesn't quite apply. (What was that?) It's my favorite Mulligan. Lots of counterpoint and amazing parallel improvisation..
💃😎🕺
Thanks Aimee for introducing me to this artist. Could you recommend, let's say, no more than 10 small group recordings I could preview (I have a feeling you'd give me a much bigger list!)? That would be very helpful. Thanks again.
Quartet, volume 1, quartet, volume two, Lee Konitz plays with the Gerry Mulligan quartet, the Paris concert, Mulligan meets Monk, blues in time with Paul Desmond, Getz Meets Mulligan, the Chet Baker reunion, what is there to say, Gerry Mulligan, with Johnny Hodges
@@AimeeNolte Oh thanks! I look forward to listening and adding my musical knowledge and library.
A long life, and a long body of work...unlike say Serge Chaloff.
Great video, thanks! Please try to keep the music samples a bit longer, if at all legally possible.
Impossible - I’ll get demonetized: wish I could
@@AimeeNolte That's what I suspected. Yeah, I wish too.
An out of the jazz world example of Gerry Mulligan's hypnotic playing can be found on the Beaver & Krause album "Gandharva", especially the song 'Your Grace'. czcams.com/video/QtD_7TSBXMw/video.htmlsi=NUbXCmDV2-9-fmE0
For the longest time I thought Chet or Stan always sounded better on their solos than Mulligan did, until I realized that the reason they sounded so great was because of the counterpoint Gerry was supporting them with. They are rarely able to return the favor as well when its his turn to solo.
Great video.
So true
@ 04:20 - Isn't that Lee Konitz with Davis and Mulligan?
Yes I made an error
Finally someone shows some knowledge of a truly original Artist!
Difficult to understand how Lester Young didn't get a mention!
Have you noticed that songs sung by a male vocalist get covered by both male and female vocalists, but songs that are originally sung by a female are almost only ever covered by female singers.
Sonny Rollins used guitar a lot instead of piano, when asked why Sonny said.... Piano is too dam big and steps on everyone.
Versitality ? Or.... versatility ?
Yeah yeah yeah…I knowwwww. Realized it in the edit🤪
This is a horrible presentation. Every example of Mulligan's or another's playing is chopped off before I can get into it. Either produce recording that actually contriubes to our understanding of Mulligan or pull it. Seesh.
You can’t put clips any longer than seven seconds on CZcams. They will demonetize the video. So I’ve done my best. I’m sorry that you didn’t like it.
birth of the cool !
Some Sonny Rollins records have just sax bass and drums - nothing to play chords
I think the avant garde by Coltrane has no piano
True true!