Like so many of the albums in this series, younger listeners may wonder what all the fuss was about. I too, sometimes, also express doubts but, putting those doubts behind me, I go back to the moment in time when they appeared that is in the years prior to the advent of Elvis, The Beatles, Coltrane, Ornette and the various others who went for music sans frontières.
To those listeners such as myself who preferred to have their frontières, however distant, at least reachable at the end of a good day's bike ride these tracks quickly acquired cult status.
Mulligan, of course, we knew from his days with Miles' legendary 1949 band but Baker was totally new to most of us, as was the concept of a piano-less quartet.
It was the epitome of cool. Baker became the pin-up boy of jazz and even won polls despite his limited technique proving once again that less can be more.
Nevertheless, it was good for its time and even though I preferred a later edition with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer replacing Chet it didn't detract from the initial impact.
When judgement day finally arrives, the Mulligan Quartet will probably be side-lined as an interesting offshoot albeit a very listenable one.
Lance
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