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Jazz saxophonist, bandleader, composer and arranger Gerry Mulligan was perhaps the best-known and most celebrated exponent of the baritone sax in the history of genre. Although a native New Yorker, he became associated with the West Coast “cool school” of modern jazz in the 1950s and participated in numerous landmark recordings during his career. He became especially well-known for his collaborations during the early ‘50s with trumpeter Chet Baker (see “The Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker Collection 1952-53” Acrobat ADDCD 3339), but later in the decade he also made albums with several other jazz luminaries of the era, and this collection comprises the complete contents of five of those. This 33-track 3-CD collections features the titles from from the Verve albums “Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi”, “Gerry Mulligan - Paul Desmond Quartet”, “Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster”, “Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges”, and the Riverside album “Mulligan Meets Monk”. Quite apart from the headline collaborators , it also includes performances by notable musicians of the day who were in the bands – Joe Benjamin, Lou Levy, Ray Brown, Jimmy Rowles, Mel Lewis, Claude Williamson, Buddy Clark and more. Capturing the great saxophonist creating albums with his illustrious peers, it naturally offers an enlightening and enjoyable showcase for his unique talents. As a result of his popularity, success and high profile, he had a huge number of hits, and this 91-track 4-CD collection consists entirely of all his career hits as listed in Joel Whitburn’s book “Pop Memories 1890-1954” and also in the early Billboard charts. Among those are the 22 records listed as No. 1s, which include “Sonny Boy”, “Swanee”, “Toot Toot Tootsie, Goodbye” “You Made Me Love You”, “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”, “When The Red Robin”, “There’s A Rainbow Round My Shoulder”, “I’m Sitting On Top Of The World”, “California Here I Come”, and many more from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley. He was a hugely influential and distinctive performer and this substantial collection, capturing the essence of his style and talent, is a fine showcase for his significant recorded legacy.
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