Gerry Mulligan

A renowned composer, arranger, saxophonist and pianist, Gerry Mulligan's golden era was undoubtedly the early 1950s. Mulligan had formed a piano-less quartet with Bob Whitlock on bass, Chico Hamilton on drums and the legendary Chet Baker on trumpet. The combination of Mulligan, a classically trained musician coupled with the self-taught, more instinctive style of Baker was a magical collaboration which still causes jazz fans to go misty-eyed when they hear it. Mulligan, when asked about the musical partnership with Baker, commented: "I had never experienced anything like that before and not really since". Sadly it all came crashing down in 1953 when Mulligan was arrested on narcotics charges and spent six months in jail. Like many jazz players at that time, both Mulligan and Baker struggled with drug addiction. In the short time Mulligan was in prison Baker re-invented himself and became independently successful and the partnership was effectively dissolved ending one of the most creative periods of Mulligan's career. Mulligan continued playing alongside jazz greats such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and many other big names. Although Mulligan's considerable skills as an orchestral arranger were in frequent demand, playing jazz remained a constant throughout his life until his death in 1996 aged 68 having suffered complications following routine surgery.

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