Customer Reviews

California Concerts 2

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I really like almost anything that Gerry Mulligan has recorded, but his recordings from the 1950's are arguably his best. In California Concerts, Gerry was fronting an unusualy large horn line (Zoot Sims on tenor, Mulligan on bari, Jon Eardly on trumpet and Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone) which gave the group more punch and swing than Mulligan sometimes pushed out of his smaller groups, such as the pianoless quartets featuring Chet Baker or Art Farmer. Obviously, the personnel is great and lends itself to top improvisation and great swing. The down side to this disc is that the solos are sometimes regretably short and the sound quality of the recording isn't top. Well worth owning, though.

This one is your best bet. Vol 1 is minus Zoot and Brookmeyer. Indeed there are some short quartet tracks here too (with John Eardley on trumpet) but Vol 1 is all Quartet. Eardley is in the larger group too. The Red Door and Polka Dots and Moonbeams both with Brookmeyer on piano are classics. Gerry is the only horn soloist on Polka Dots. Zoot plays the opening chorus of I Know Don't Know How superbly. Gerry later recorded it with the Concert Jazz Band. The sound quality is above average for 50's even 60's live recordings. Gerry is very full toned throughout and I've come to realize that any time he wasn't deep toned through out his career, it was deliberately lightened. - 70min. of music.