Gerry Mulligan: A Modern Jazz Artist Who Respected Tradition

When I interviewed Gerry Mulligan in 1981, he told me that his dream was to have a television show patterned after Lawrence Welk’s. An odd aspiration for a modern jazz musician. But, he explained that, for years, he wanted “to do a variety show based around a band. I would have guests— singers and comics—and present things in a grown up way. Probably the most successful musical show on television was The Lawrence Welk Show. I don’t see why a show like that can’t be done based around another kind of music.” That ambition, never realized, is a clue to Mulligan’s musical philosophy. He exploded on the jazz scene in the early 1950s with his pianoless quartet. The music was considered modern or “cool” jazz, but, as a 1991 review for Amazon.co.uk pointed out, “The quartet’s music was that rare kind of jazz which appeals to everyone, all kinds of jazz fans and a broad section of the general public as well.” It’s been said that Mulligan “aimed for 42nd Street and ended up on 52nd Street.” That’s because he would have been just as comfortable composing music for the Broadway stage as he was writing and arranging for jazz bands and orchestras. He respected the history of the music and was as comfortable playing with a Dixieland band as with a bebop or other modern jazz group. In my book, Jeru’s Journey: The Life and Music of Gerry Mulligan (Hal Leona