GERRY MULLIGAN
Self-Made Symphonic Composer: Gerry Mulligan Gerry is one of the great figures, not just in jazz, but also of the artistic life of the 20th century. He had a deep appreciation for history, literature, art, architecture, engineering and nature, and found inspiration in nearly everything and in music of mostly all genres, even in the birds’ songs. Gerry loved Milano, thanks to the Maestro Riccardo Muti, who gave Gerry the special permission to assist to all his rehearsal at La Scala. When we would stay at our apartment in Milan, Gerry would frequently go to listen to the rehearsal of “L’Orchestra Sinfonica della Scala”, the famous opera house. He especially loved Giacomo Puccini, and enjoyed the rich orchestrations of the music of Turandot. During one of our stays in Milan, in the 1980s, knowing that he was writing for so many different size bands, I suggested to Gerry why don’t you write an orchestral piece. He dismissed the idea, because Gerry, in his own eyes, was a “self-made composer and self-trained musician”, he believed that he lacked the tools to undertake what he perceived to be a complicated task, since he was not a formally educated composer. GERRY MULLIGAN Short Biography The legendary Gerry Mulligan was one of a handful of musical giants who was extremely influential as both a composer/arranger and as an instrumentalist. As a composer, his music was distinct and original. His melodies were masterpieces, logically structured and filled with wit and humor. As an arranger, his linear approach and clever use of counterpoint helped define the standard for modern jazz orchestration. As an instrumentalist, he was the most significant baritone saxophonist in the history of jazz. He was a brilliant soloist, able to communicate on both an intellectual and an emotional level. By using the full range of the instrument, he developed a very personal sound that has been widely imitated but never duplicated. Gerry Mulligan single- handedly established the baritone saxophone as a solo voice. As one of the great jazz innovators, his writing and playing influenced entire stylistic movements, including both “cool jazz” and “bossa nova.” He was born in New York on April 6th, 1927. His musical career began in the mid-1940’s, writing for a variety of bands, including Tommy Tucker, Johnny Warrington, Elliot Lawrence, Gene Krupa and Claude Thornhill. During his tenure with Thornhill, he worked with another band arranger named Gil Evans. Evans shared Mulligan’s concepts of a more linear writing style, and together withMiles Davis, they conceived what we now think of as “The Birth of the Cool.” In the early 1950’s, Mulligan moved to Los Angeles and formed his monumental Pianoless Quartet featuring Chet Baker. The quartet was an instant success, and Mulligan became an international jazz celebrity. This led to numerous engagements throughout the world, as well as appearances on radio and television, and in motion pictures. In 1960 he formed the Concert Jazz Band, a 13-piece ensemble based on the idea of the Pianoless quartet. This gave the ensemble a much lighter sound and texture and established new standards for jazz orchestration. From that point on, he continued to explore new musical frontiers. In addition to working with his own groups, he also began writing for films, musical theater, symphony orchestras and chamber groups, and collaborating with artists as diverse as Astor Piazzolla, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Barry Manilow, Zubin Mehta, and many outstanding American performers and composer as Dave Brubeck. He was consistently voted number one in jazz polls around the world and won a recordforty-three consecutive DownBeat Readers Poll Awards. In 1999, the Library of Congress celebrated the opening of the permanent exhibit of the Gerry Mulligan Collection, housed in a special room at the entrance to the Performing Arts Reading Room in the Music Division, in the James Madison Memorial Building. His immense success and popularity continued to take him to venues throughout the world. His brilliant performances and articulate commentary made him one of the great ambassadors for American music. Music was his focus and purpose in life, and he was able to transcend barriers on both a musical and personal level. He left us a prolific legacy of recordings from all phases of his career. The body of work that he produced over six decades establishes him as one of the true giants of twentieth century music. His collection of manuscripts and recordings has been donated to the Library of Congress, by his wife, Franca. The genius, magic, and beauty of Gerry Mulligan’s music has earned him immortality. Ken Poston Jazz historian Founder and Director of the Los Angeles Jazz Institute Long Beach, California
Brani contenuti nel DVD
|
