Book review: Alyn Shipton - The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets

The ninth volume in OUP's Studies in Recorded Jazz series, based around Gerry Mulligan's 1950s quartet recordings, and meticulously covered in detail by musician, bandleader, broadcaster, author and jazz authority Alyn Shipton, is surely the definitive work yet to appear on one of the, if not the, greatest jazz baritone saxophonists of all time.

As the title implies, the writer concentrates on that magical decade where, apart from the hard bop sounds that were emerging from the Blue Note studios, there were also various chamber jazz ensembles emerging such as the Modern Jazz Quartet and Dave Brubeck. However, not only did Mulligan get in there ahead of the rest but he was, arguably, at that time the first to do so without harmonic support from piano or guitar.

Baritone and trumpet, initially with Chet Baker and later with Jon Eardley, Art Farmer and Bob Brookmeyer (on valve trombone),  plus bassists such as Bob Whitlock, Carson Smith or Bill Crow and drummers Chico Hamilton, Dave Bailey and Gus Johnson, the quartet carved their names in jazz history.

Shipton analyses each session in depth, frequently including printed transcriptions to demonstrate a particular point.

These are invaluable except: They are written in concert key making it essential for an instrumentalist to transpose to make them playable. The author explains that this is to make it easier for the reader to assimilate the harmonies or for a pianist to play over on the piano. This would work if it had been in a ring-bind folder ... 

However, apart from that - and if you are of an age to have grown up with the quartets your eyesight couldn't cope anyway - this is, without doubt, the definitive work. Not just about the quartets but also his earlier work as sideman/arranger with Thornhill, Krupa and Miles and the later recordings and tours with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band - one of the great 'mini' big bands (13 pieces).

Although Mulligan's early heroin addiction (it came with the territory back then) and his subsequent imprisonment is dealt with factually it is neither glamorised nor sensationalised as was the case with so many of his contemporaries most notably Chet Baker.

Likewise, his private life whilst noted is respected up to the death of the love of his life Judy Holliday.

There's an excellent discography that had me digging out those albums I already have whilst making notes to check out those ones that I don't have.

Highly recommended. Lance 

Alyn Shipton: The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets. Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN 978-0-19-757976-3