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
I'll Remember April
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
Alone where we have walked together
I'll remember April and be glad
I'll be content you loved me once in April
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
For flames live such a little while
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
I'll remember April and smile
The lyrics to Gerry Mulligan's song "I'll Remember April" speak to the bittersweet feeling of looking back on a past love. The opening lines describe the passage of time as a lovely day stretching out into evening, but this beauty is seen through the lens of melancholy, as the singer must say goodbye to a past romance. The line "Alone where we have walked together" is particularly poignant, highlighting the sense of loss and the enduring memories of shared moments.
As the song continues, the singer reflects on the past and finds solace in the memory of the love they once shared. The lines "I'll be content you loved me once in April / Your lips were warm and love and spring were new" evoke the sweetness of a fledgling romance, while the following lines "I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow / For I'll remember April and you" demonstrate a sense of acceptance and resilience. The final lines of the song suggest that though the flames of love may have died down, the memories will continue to bring a smile.
Overall, "I'll Remember April" is a poignant and powerful song that speaks to the universal human experience of love, loss, and the enduring power of memory.
Line by Line Meaning
This lovely day will lengthen into evening
As the day progresses into evening, it reminds me of how time passes and things come to an end.
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
The memories of what we shared will remain, but we must accept that it is time to move on.
Alone where we have walked together
The places we used to go as a couple are now filled with the echoes of our past memories together, haunting me wherever I walk.
I'll remember April and be glad
Despite the pain of the breakup, I will cherish the memories of April and the love we shared, and remember it with happiness.
I'll be content you loved me once in April
Although we may no longer be together, my heart is at peace knowing that at one point in time, you loved me deeply in the month of April.
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
When we first fell in love, everything was bright and fresh, much like the feeling at the beginning of spring. I will always remember the warmth of your love and the way your lips felt on mine.
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
The sadness of autumn does not scare me, as I have faced the sorrow of our breakup and learned to cope with it.
For I'll remember April and you
April will always hold a special place in my heart as the time we were together, and I will always remember you during that month with fondness.
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
Like the flame of a fire that eventually fades away, the passion of our relationship has come to an end and now only ashes remain.
For flames live such a little while
Just like a fire, the love we shared was fleeting and temporary, but the memories will last much longer.
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
I will always remember the love we shared, but I will not let it consume me and make me feel alone.
I'll remember April and smile
Whenever I think of our time together in April, I will look back on it with a smile and the knowledge that it was a special time in my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL, PATRICIA JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind