Mulligan started on the piano before learning clarinet and the various saxophones. His initial reputation was as an arranger. In 1944 he wrote charts for Johnny Warrington's radio band and soon was making contributions to the books of Tommy Tucker and George Paxton. He moved to New York in 1946 and joined Gene Krupa's Orchestra as a staff arranger; his most notable chart was "Disc Jockey Jump." The rare times he played with Krupa's band was on alto and the same situation existed when he was with Claude Thornhill in 1948.
Gerry Mulligan's first notable recorded work on baritone was with Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool nonet (1948-50) but once again his arrangements ("Godchild," "Darn That Dream" and three of his originals "Jeru," "Rocker" and "Venus de Milo") were more significant than his short solos. Mulligan spent much of 1949 writing for Elliot Lawrence's orchestra and playing anonymously in the saxophone section. It was not until 1951 that he began to get a bit of attention for his work on baritone. Mulligan recorded with his own nonet for Prestige, displaying an already recognizable sound. After he traveled to Los Angeles, he wrote some arrangements for Stan Kenton (including "Youngblood," "Swing House" and "Walking Shoes"), worked at the Lighthouse and then gained a regular Monday night engagement at the Haig. Around this time Mulligan realized that he enjoyed the extra freedom of soloing without a pianist. He jammed with trumpeter Chet Baker and soon their magical rapport was featured in his piano-less quartet. The group caught on quickly in 1952 and made both Mulligan and Baker into stars.
A drug bust put Mulligan out of action and ended that quartet but, when he was released from jail in 1954, Mulligan began a new musical partnership with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer that was just as successful. Trumpeter Jon Eardley and Zoot Sims on tenor occasionally made the group a sextet and in 1958 trumpeter Art Farmer was featured in Mulligan's Quartet. Being a very flexible player with respect for other stylists, Mulligan went out of his way to record with some of the great musicians he admired. At the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival he traded off with baritonist Harry Carney on "Prima Bara Dubla" while backed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and during 1957-60 he recorded separate albums with Thelonious Monk, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges. Mulligan played on the classic Sound of Jazz television special in 1958 and appeared in the movies I Want to Live and The Subterraneans.
During 1960-64 Mulligan led his Concert Jazz Band which gave him an opportunity to write, play baritone and occasionally double on piano. The orchestra at times included Brookmeyer, Sims, Clark Terry and Mel Lewis. Mulligan was a little less active after the big band broke up but he toured extensively with the Dave Brubeck Quartet (1968-72), had a part-time big band in the 1970s (the Age of Steam), doubled on soprano for a period, led a mid-'70s sextet that included vibraphonist Dave Samuels, and in 1986 jammed on a record with Scott Hamilton. In the 1990s he toured the world with his excellent "no-name" quartet and led a "Rebirth of the Cool Band" that performed and recorded remakes of the Miles Davis Nonet classics. Up until the end, Gerry Mulligan was always eager to play. Gerry Mulligan died on January 20th, 1996 in Darien, CT.
Among Mulligan's compositions were "Walkin' Shoes," "Line for Lyons," "Bark for Barksdale," "Nights at the Turntable," "Utter Chaos," "Soft Shoe," "Bernie's Tune," "Blueport," "Song for Strayhorn," "Song for an Unfinished Woman" and "I Never Was a Young Man" (which he often sang). He recorded extensively through the years for such labels as Prestige, Pacific Jazz, Capitol, Vogue, EmArcy, Columbia, Verve, Milestone, United Artists, Philips, Limelight, A&M, CTI, Chiaroscuro, Who's Who, DRG, Concord and GRP. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Blues In Time
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was in knee pants,
My mama done tol' me, Son!
A woman'll sweet talk
And give ya the big eye;
But when the sweet talkin's done,
A woman's a two face
A worrisome thing
The blues in the night
Now the rain's a-fallin',
Hear the train a-callin'
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
Hear that lonesome whistle
Blowin' 'cross the trestle,
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
And the moon'll hide its light
When you get the blues in the night
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
Sing the saddest kind o' song
He knows things are wrong and he's right
From Natchez to Mobile,
From Memphis to St. Jo,
Wherever the four winds blow,
I been in some big towns,
An' heard me some big talk,
But there is one thing I know
A woman's a two face,
A worrisome thing
Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night.
My mama was right,
There's blues in the night.
Gerry Mulligan's song Blues In Time portrays the message about how a woman's sweet talk can capture a man's heart, but that is only temporary as they will eventually leave them with the blues in the night. The lyrics portray the story of a person who was warned by their mother about the two faces of women. The woman starts with sweet talk and alluring eyes, but when the game is over, the person is left alone with the blues in the night. The song depicts the persona's experience of being in big towns, hearing big talk, and realizing that the nature of women remains the same everywhere - they can love a man today and leave him crying in the night tomorrow. The lyrics are augmented by the melancholic sound of the saxophone, which creates an ambiance of desolation, reflecting the sadness of lost love.
The second verse begins with an atmosphere of solitude - the rain is falling, and a train is calling. Music always reflects the emotions of the singer, and the train's whistle echoes the aura of despair in the persona's mind. The moon hides its light, and the mockingbird sings the saddest song that indicates the end of the hope of rekindling a relationship. The lyrics offer a panoramic view of the situations, spreading from Natchez to St. Jo, wherever the winds blow, suggesting a universal truth of heartbreaks. At its core, this song explores the pain that people suffer when they place their trust in someone who betrays them.
Line by Line Meaning
My mama done tol' me,
The singer recalls his mother's words
When I was in knee pants,
He remembers hearing it when he was young
My mama done tol' me, Son!
His mother personally advised him
A woman'll sweet talk
Women can be charming
And give ya the big eye;
They can also use their eyes to convey attraction
But when the sweet talkin's done,
These displays of affection may not be genuine
A woman's a two face
Women can be duplicitous
A worrisome thing
This can be cause for concern
Who'll leave ya t'sing
Their actions might cause emotional distress
The blues in the night
This emotional distress will cause a sense of melancholy
Now the rain's a-fallin',
The singer is setting a new scene
Hear the train a-callin'
We can now hear the sound of a train
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
The singer recalls his mother's warning
Hear that lonesome whistle
The train whistle emphasizes the mood
Blowin' 'cross the trestle,
The train is crossing a bridge with a rail-like structure
Whoo-ee (my mama done tol' me)
The mother's warning resonates with the mood
A whoo-ee-duh-whoo-ee, ol' clickety clack's
The train whistle and rails continue to create an eerie atmosphere
A-echoin' back the blues in the night
This creates a sound which further emphasizes the melancholy mood
The evenin' breeze'll start the trees to cryin'
The wind further accentuates the mood
And the moon'll hide its light
The moon, previously providing light in the darkness, now adds to the somber tone
When you get the blues in the night
This melancholy mood can be induced by a variety of factors
Take my word, the mockin' bird'll
The artist now imparts new knowledge
Sing the saddest kind o' song
Even the bird's song adds to the sorrowful atmosphere
He knows things are wrong and he's right
The bird is aware of the problems in the world and is accurate in it's perception
From Natchez to Mobile,
The singer now speaks of a journey
From Memphis to St. Jo,
This journey covers different places
Wherever the four winds blow,
This journey can be anywhere
I been in some big towns,
The artist has traveled to large, populated areas
An' heard me some big talk,
The artist has heard people boast about their lives
But there is one thing I know
Despite what he's heard, he is sure of one thig.
A woman's a two face,
Women can put forward two distinct and sometimes conflicting personalities
A worrisome thing
This double-faced nature can cause problems for men
Who'll leave ya t'sing the blues in the night.
They have the power to induce melancholy, further emphasizing the song's central theme.
My mama was right,
The artist recognizes the accuracy of his mother's advice
There's blues in the night.
The song concludes on the same note that it began
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, JOHNNY MERCER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
imamba1
Sax playing and a great back up team doesn't get a heck of a lot better. The breaks are sooooo good.
George Stewart
Two of the best! The breaks by Mulligan kill me!
Ahmed Bouzid
Just lovely. Makes you be happy to be alive. And that's not a small thing.
Jo Bassani
Soo beautiful
clearviewmind
Hi mate - You had a track One & Only by LTJ Bukem and I had it in my favourites, but noticed it's been removed. I can't find it anywhere else - do you know if it was on an album?? Thanks, Bud.
jackthehatuk
Did i message you with a response to this?
Jack Sprat
Rhythm section sounds like Ray Brown Bass and Ed Thigpen Drums. Yes? No?
Jack Sprat
No! Dave Bailey Drums, Joe Benjamin Bass. Excellent!
James C. Lockwood
@Jack Sprat They were a regular part of Mulligan's pianoless street band.