The second Gerry Mulligan tribute released in 1998, “Thank You, Gerry! Our Tribute to Gerry Mulligan” (Arkadia) takes the opposite approach of the Three Baritone Sax Band. It leaves out the baritone voice entirely.
This album features an all-star cast of Mulligan’s most notable sidemen, including Randy Brecker, Bob Brookmeyer, and Lee Konitz, and modernized arrangements of some of Mulligan’s more famous themes. It features tunes from the original pianoless quartet almost exclusively, reworked for a sextet with piano.
The charts, by pianist Ted Rosenthal, bring out a different side of these eleven Mulligan classics. Instead of a heavy focus on two-voice, improvised counterpoint, the album utilizes more planned, pre-written interplay between the three lead voices. I can hardly stress enough the different sound created simply by exluding the baritone.
As could be expected, the soloing is superb, especially from Brookmeyer and Brecker. Brookmeyer has perfected the soloing style he developed with the Mulligan quartet, and anchors the group with incredible consistency. Brecker, on the other hand, provides a contrast to Brookmeyer and Konitz, improvising in a much more modern style.
My single complaint with this album is its focus on Mulligan’s oldest tunes. True, these tunes led to his initial rise to fame, and when fans speak of the Mulligan “sound,” they most often refer to the original quartet. But it is a mistake to forget the other, amazingly productive, periods in Jeru’s career, some of which are similarly worth of the tribute.
In the liner notes, Dave Brubeck refers to Gerry as the “past, present, and future” of jazz; despite its flaws, this album emphasizes that point, drawing on Gerry’s wide repertoire for an album of music as contemporary now as it was then. (7/23/98)
After Gerry Mulligan passed away, I expected some of today’s top baritone players to issue tribute albums to the master. However, I would’ve never guessed that they’d all do it on the same album! But that’s exactly what Ronnie Cuber, Nick Brignola, and Gary Smulyan did on their new album, “Three Baritone Saxophone Band Plays Mulligan” (Dreyfus).
Coupled only with a rhythm section of bass (Andy McKee) and drums (Joe Farnsworth), the three baris play over fresh arrangements of eleven Mulligan classics, plus a new tune from Cuber, entitled “Waltz for Geraldus.” They primarily draw on Mulligan’s early work, with tunes like “Line for Lyons” and “Walkin’ Shoes” highlighting the set.
As mentioned in the liner notes, the band didn’t just pick a dozen songs and blow over the changes; Cuber wrote out arrangements for the highly unusual instrumentation. Most of the time, the harmonies are similar to those originally employed by Gerry’s quartet. However, some of the new harmonizations (most notably on “Blueport”) leave the listener yearning for the old versions.
Perhaps the most interesting selection on the album is a version of Johnny Mandel’s “I Want to Live,” a rarely-played blues from the soundtrack of the movie with the same name. Since, to most Mulligan fans, the classic songs (like “Bernie’s Tune”) are as familiar as Mulligan’s signature sound, the choice of a couple lesser-known tune is welcome.
The soloing by the three saxmen is outstanding; Smulyan, who isn’t often heard improvising on record, proves himself a capable soloist as well as ensemble player. And anyone familiar with Brignola or Cuber couldn’t doubt the skills of those musicians.
Initially, the three-bari sound is a tad difficult to listen to, but it becomes more likable (and more accessible) as the album goes on. Cuber’s tribute, “Waltz for Geraldus,” is the most lively cut on the album, and takes the most advantage of the unique instrumentation.
I’d like to see this band get together again for another date--perhaps “Mulligan: The Later Years,” or something along those lines. Since all of the players are competent in multiple styles, it would be interesting to hear them take on “The Age of Steam,” or a TBS version of “Song for Strayhorn.” For now, though, they’ve left a faithful and endearing tribute worthy of multiple listenings.