The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet, founded in 1952, was a pioneering jazz small ensemble that did not include a chordal instrument. The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets provides an intimate look at Mulligan's musical development, tracing his compositions and arrangements through collaborations with Elliot Lawrence, Gene Krupa, and Claude Thornhill, culminating with Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool nonet. Author Alyn Shipton presents a fresh take on Mulligan's harmonic creativity, analyzing his heroin addiction, imprisonment, sobriety, and eventual musical triumph.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 06 June 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet, founded in Los Angeles in 1952, is widely regarded as the pioneering small ensemble in jazz that eschewed the use of chordal instruments like the piano or guitar. The Gerry Mulligan 1950s Quartets, a comprehensive exploration of Mulligan's musical journey from his early quartet with Chet Baker to his successors with Bob Brookmeyer, Jon Eardley, and Art Farmer, offers an intimate glimpse into Mulligan's artistic evolution. The book provides an unparalleled account of Mulligan's musical life, spanning from his teenage years to adulthood, analyzing how his compositions and arrangements underwent a transformation through collaborations with artists such as Elliot Lawrence, Gene Krupa, and Claude Thornhill. This musical odyssey culminated in Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool nonet. Author Alyn Shipton, through original interviews with many of Mulligan's associates, presents a fresh perspective on Mulligan's harmonic creativity, while also tracing the ups and downs of his heroin addiction, imprisonment, sobriety, and eventual musical triumph.

Weight: 464g
Dimension: 138 x 211 x 33 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197579763