Gerry Mulligan
Baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan was an influential arranger and bandleader, the possessor of a uniquely light and agile bari sax sound, and one of the founders and iconic figures of the cool “West Coast” jazz style. His first high-profile gig was as a member of the Miles Davis nonet which recorded Birth of the Cool, and he would subsequently achieve notoriety as leader of a series of “pianoless quartets” in the 1950s that featured trumpeter Chet Baker and later valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, among many others. From the 1960s through the end of his life, Mulligan led ensembles of all sizes, from quartet to big band, notably as a member of Dave Brubeck’s quartet and as leader of his own Concert Big Band. Starting in the 1970s he also began composing and arranging music for orchestral performance. Gerry Mulligan died in 1996. |
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