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photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress

Gerry Mulligan, ca. 1980s

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…..I belong to a jazz listening group and this month’s topic has been the music of Gerry Mulligan and other baritone saxophone players – a rich, engrossing experience that has offered me the chance to wade deep into Mulligan’s career, and to rediscover great baritone players like Leo Parker, Pepper Adams, Hamiet Bluiett, Nick Brignola, Serge Chaloff, Ronnie Cuber and Scott Robinson.

…..Along the way I found a terrific 90-minute documentary of Mulligan’s life that I recommend as an antidote to cabin fever and as a temporary diversion from the many contemporary films/series found on Netflix, Hulu, et al.

…..Released following Mulligan’s 1996 passing, Listen was produced by his widow Franca Rota Mulligan and sponsored by the Library of Congress, where a collection of Mulligan’s work lives.  The film includes several great filmed performances from virtually every stage of his career (many of which are also available through a simple search on Youtube), but the two that stand out are impromptu – one a duet with trumpeter Art Farmer playing “Festive Minor” in an outdoor, park-like setting, and the other filmed in Mulligan’s apartment in the 1950s with Antonio Carlos Jobim, who jams with Mulligan on “Samba De Uma Nota So.”

…..Interviews with many of his fellow musicians, including Dave Brubeck, Bob Brookmeyer, Farmer, David Amram, Chico Hamilton and Wynton Marsalis frame much of the documentary.  It’s a worthwhile experience, and what came away for me was not only a more robust and updated appreciation for Mulligan’s musical brilliance, but what an intriguing, fascinating guy he was.

…..You can have a look at the film for yourself here:

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If all you have time for is one Mulligan piece, “K-4 Pacific” from his 1971 album The Age of Steam has been active on my turntable this past week.

 

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