Reunion Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker by Michael Cuscuna

© -Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

Here’s a nice encapsulation of the early years of Gerry Mulligan’s 1950s association with Pacific Jazz Records.

Reunion Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker by Michael Cuscuna

[Pacific Jazz Series CDP 746857 EMI-Manhattan]

“The original Gerry Mulligan piano less quartet with Chet Baker grew out of several circumstances in the summer of 1952. One year later, it was over. But in that time, the group had recorded prolifically for Pacific Jazz as well as 8 titles for Fantasy and 6 for GNP.

Mulligan’s first session with Pacific Jazz was the label's inauguration. It took place on June 10, 1952. It was to be a quartet with Jimmy Rowles, Red Mitchell and Chico Hamilton, but Rowles never showed up. So the trio recorded anyway with the only piano coming from Mulligan during the bass solos. Mulligans next session a month later had Chet Baker, whom he had only recently met. Rowles on piano and Joe Mondragon on bass. No drums this time.

A week or so later. The Haig, where Mulligan had become the Monday regular, hired the Red Norvo trio for an extended engagement. To make room for Norvo's vibes, the club's piano went into storage. Mulligan formed a quartet with Baker and bass and drums to accommodate the new set-up. In August, this group made its first sides for Pacific Jazz. Within a few months. Pacific Jazz, Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker were overnight successes with the records selling like pop favorites and articles in every music magazine and such mainstream press as Time Magazine. Lines at the Haig were around the block.

In early June of 1953. it was all over as Gerry ran afoul of the law on a drug charge and had to serve several months in jail. Chet Baker kept the lamp burning at The Haig, but he was now developing his own superb quartet with pianist-composer Russ Freeman.

When Mulligan returned to the scene, he stood fast to the idea of a pianoless group that would allow more improvisational directions and freedom. Most often he has a quartet with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer (in which they both played occasional piano) and a sextet with trumpeter Joe Eardley and tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims.

In December of 1957, Mulligan, who had since gone on to record for Emarcy and Verve, and Pacific Jazz's Dick Bock were reunited in New York for a heavy recording schedule of special projects by Mulligan, which were all completed in a matter of two weeks. One was an album with Annie Ross, another was an unissued LP with the Vinnie Burke string quartet, another was The Gerry Mulligan Songbook arranged for an all star sax section, and finally a reunion with Chet Baker.

For the Reunion album and most of the Annie Ross material. Mulligan and Baker were joined by bassist Henry Grimes and Gerry's regular drummer Dave Bailey on December 3, 11 and 17. On those three days. ten titles with Annie Ross and thirteen with just the quartet were completed. Of the instrumental material, two additional alternate takes have also survived.

Although some have criticized this Mulligan-Baker session as not very successful, the results are actually quite excellent. Admittedly, some of the spark and spunk of the original quartet is not evident in these performances, but then these are men whose music is five years older and five years more mature. Also, it is quite obvious that neither man was attempting a 'revival' or a 'recreation', merely a 'reunion' None of the material taped was in the original quartet book.

If the sass of youth is gone, here we find in Mulligan a much more assured and mature improviser with a greater sense of the whole in his solos and more ability to construct it with a minimum of fuss. Chet Baker at this point in his life came unnecessarily under the influence of Miles Davis in some respects. The lift and pure originality of his ideas, phrasing and spontaneity were tempered briefly. But he still outplays most of the pack by a long shot. And his empathy with Gerry in the wonderfully inventive and unique Mulligan-Baker arrangements and in the contrapuntal and solo sections is still completely intact.

Of the fifteen performances here, eight were issued on the original album, two appeared on Playboy Records anthologies, three more titles and two alternate takes are issued on this Compact Disc for the first time. What is most striking is the uniform quality of all the material, which must have made the original Ip selection quite difficult.

The program is equally balanced with standards, older jazz tunes and modern jazz classics. And in each case. Mulligan fashions delightful, intricate arrangements that extract the most from the compositional materials and from the instrumentation at hand.

Thanks to the CD format, we can now enjoy these sessions in their entirety. The vocal portions of the December 11 and 17 dates can be heard in full with previously unissued material on Annie Ross Sings A Song With Mulligan on CD.”

— Michael Cuscuna