Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker

Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 11, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: OJC
• ASIN: B000000YX1
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #118,731 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kicking off West Coast modern & Chubby's big band, June 9, 2006

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker (Audio CD)

This CD is a compilation of two separate recording sessions, one led by Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker on trumpet, the other by the Chubby Jackson Big Band. Half the Mulligan-Baker quartet material was recorded at the Black Hawk in San Francisco in September 1952, the other half four months later in LA. The personnel remains the same for both. The two horn men, along with Carson Smith (b) and Chico Hamilton (d) were laying down the foundation of what soon would be referred to as West Coast or Cool jazz, a sound just as swinging as its East coast rival, but tempered somewhat by a more introspective rhythm approach (the use of brushes over sticks by the drummer, for example) and in the case of this group, no piano. Many who disparage West Coast jazz make the claim that it was cold, pensive, and unswinging, which makes one wonder if such people ever really listened to the music. Such tunes as BARK FOR BARKSDALE, TURNSTILE, and LIMELIGHT are modern dynamos, far from retiring wallflowers. Baker, who supposedly couldn't read music, is truly inspired on these early sides.

The Jackson sides were recorded at one session for Prestige in 1950 in New York and feature an all-star modern big band, including Mulligan (bar sax) Howard McGhee (tp) Zoot Sims (ts) JJ Johnson (tb) and Jackson (b) among many other top players. Best might be the up-tempo rouser FLYING THE COOP, written by Tiny Kahn, a performance that sets the band off well, especially Sims and Johnson. I MAY BE WRONG is also a great tune done to perfection here, thanks to Mulligan's playing and arranging.

The music on this CD is fresh and exciting. The playing is top-notch. This is a must-have CD for anyone interested in modern jazz, especially during its earlier years.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rest of the Best - Plus!, July 23, 2009

By 

Richard B. Luhrs (Jackson Heights, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker (Audio CD)

Although the legendary 1952-3 Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker Quartet made most of its recordings for the Pacific Jazz label, a handful of its performances (including the studio version of its signature number, "My Funny Valentine") were released on Fantasy Records, and are thus excluded from the double-disc Pacific Jazz retrospective GERRY MULLIGAN - The ORIGINAL QUARTET With CHET BAKER. Fortunately, they're all available on this budget-conscious reissue, which is filled out with a 1950 date from Mulligan's tenure with bassist Chubby Jackson. While not in the same league as the epochal tracks making up the first half of the disc, this earlier session is solid, enjoyable and a rare chance to hear Mulligan's baritone saxophone playing and arrangements during the period immediately following his stint in Miles Davis' famed nonet. Needless to say, no "cool" jazz collection can omit this oddball little package, and no one interested in Mulligan and/or Baker will want to pass it up either.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great recordings but cover has errors!, July 11, 2009

By 

James V. Cimarusti - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker (Audio CD)

This is a great collection of recordings featuring Gerry Mulligan. The quartet portion is, as stated above, Mulligan-Baker-Smith-Hamilton. The big band tracks that round out the album are performed by Don Ferrara, Howard McGhee, Al Porcino (tp) J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding (tb) Charlie Kennedy (as) Georgie Auld, Zoot Sims (ts) Gerry Mulligan (bars) Tony Aless (p) Chubby Jackson (b) Don Lamond (d). The problem with the cover is that it lists Conte Candoli and Billy Bauer as being on the cd, which they are not. Candoli and Bauer were on the sextet tracks that comprised the rest of the original release of this material on LP, Chubby Jackson Sextet and Big Band[PR7641] along with Emmett Carls (ts) Tony Aless (p) Chubby Jackson (b, vo) Mel Zelnick (d) The Three Nundicks: Candoli, Carls, Jackson (vocal group).