GERRY MULLIGAN PACIFIC JAZZ LP PARIS CONCERT

GERRY MULLIGAN PARIS CONCERT LPCategory / Style / Moods: Jazz * Post-Bop * Cool * West Coast Jazz * Bop * Modern Big Band * Progressive Jazz * Mainstream Jazz * Standards14.77 / 2007-09-26 S asocc1954 PACIFIC JAZZ PJ-10102 LPTITLE: PARIS CONCERTARTIST: GERRY MULLIGANCONDITIONCOVER: VGVINYL: VG+Click here for info on grading and abbreviations1967 MONO REISSUE GATEFOLD SLEEVE PRESSClick the pix for a better view TRACKS: Disc: 1Review by Scott Yanow After his quartet with Chet Baker broke up, baritonist Gerry Mulligan teamed up with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, a perfect combination that yielded quite a few rewarding recordings. This LP finds this unit in particularly inventive form, stretching out on such songs as "Five Brothers," "Makin' Whoopee," "Bernie's Tune" and "Walkin' Shoes." Cool jazz at its best, played with plenty of wit and creativity. Biography by Scott Yanow The most famous and probably greatest jazz baritonist of all time, Gerry Mulligan was a giant. A flexible soloist who was always ready to jam with anyone from Dixielanders to the most advanced boppers, Mulligan brought a somewhat revolutionary light sound to his potentially awkward and brutal horn and played with the speed and dexterity of an altoist. Mulligan started on the piano before learning clarinet and the various saxophones. His initial reputation was as an arranger. In 1944 he wrote charts for Johnny Warrington's radio band and soon was making contributions to the books of Tommy Tucker and George Paxton. He moved to New York in 1946 and joined Gene Krupa's Orchestra as a staff arranger; his most notable chart was "Disc Jockey Jump." The rare times he played with Krupa's band was on alto and the same situation existed when he was with Claude Thornhill in 1948. Gerry Mulligan's first notable recorded work on baritone was with Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool nonet (1948-50) but once again his arrangements ("Godchild," "Darn That Dream" and three of his originals "Jeru," "Rocker" and "Venus de Milo") were more significant than his short solos. Mulligan spent much of 1949 writing for Elliot Lawrence's orchestra and playing anonymously in the saxophone section. It was not until 1951 that he began to get a bit of attention for his work on baritone. Mulligan recorded with his own nonet for Prestige, displaying an already recognizable sound. After he traveled to Los Angeles, he wrote some arrangements for Stan Kenton (including "Youngblood," "Swing House" and "Walking Shoes"), worked at the Lighthouse and then gained a regular Monday night engagement at the Haig. Around this time Mulligan realized that he enjoyed the extra freedom of soloing without a pianist. He jammed with trumpeter Chet Baker and soon their magical rapport was featured in his piano-less quartet. The group caught on quickly in 1952 and made both Mulligan and Baker into stars. A drug bust put Mulligan out of action and ended that quartet but, when he was released from jail in 1954, Mulligan began a new musical partnership with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer that was just as successful. Trumpeter Jon Eardley and Zoot Sims on tenor occasionally made the group a sextet and in 1958 trumpeter Art Farmer was featured in Mulligan's Quartet. Being a very flexible player with respect for other stylists, Mulligan went out of his way to record with some of the great musicians he admired. This exquisite piece of retro music history is a vinyl sound recording (not a CD). Please visit the A Sound Deal store for similar items and information on grading and shipping. Add me to your favorites for red hot sales bulletins and sneak previews of upcoming products. Combine Items to Save $$$! Click here to check the store for more!©A Sound Deal