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 Mean You
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now I hear love call,
I'm getting sentimental over you
Things you say and do,
Just thrill me through and through,
I'm getting sentimental over you.
I could live without love
Now I must admit,
Love is all I'm thinking of
Won't you please be kind,
And just make up your mind
That you'll be sweet & gentle,
Be gentle with me
Because I'm sentimental over you
The lyrics of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" express the theme of discovering the power of love unexpectedly. The singer opens with the confession, "Never thought I'd fall, but now I hear love call." This suggests that the singer is taken aback by the power of love and how it can change how one thinks and feels. The second verse, "Things you say and do, just thrill me through and through" suggests that it is the actions of the person the singer is with that has caused them to become so sentimental. The lines, "I thought I was happy, I could live without love, now I must admit, love is all I'm thinking of" shows the transformation of the singer's emotion from content to infatuated. Love has now become the singer's priority and focus.
The bridge of the song, "Won't you please be kind, and just make up your mind, that you'll be sweet & gentle, be gentle with me" conveys the singer's plea to the person they are with to approach the relationship with tenderness, as the singer is now head over heels for them and vulnerable. The last line of the song, "because I'm sentimental over you" brings the song to a beautiful finale and a reminder of how one can unexpectedly fall in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Never thought I'd fall,
I never imagined myself falling in love
But now I hear love call,
But now, love seems to be beckoning me
I'm getting sentimental over you
I'm becoming emotional and nostalgic about you
Things you say and do,
The things you say and do have a profound effect on me
Just thrill me through and through,
They excite me completely
I'm getting sentimental over you.
I can't help but feel emotional thinking of you.
I thought I was happy,
I believed that I was content without love
I could live without love
I thought that I could manage without romantic love
Now I must admit,
However, I must confess
Love is all I'm thinking of
Romantic love is now all I can think of
Won't you please be kind,
Please show compassion
And just make up your mind
And decide for yourself
That you'll be sweet & gentle,
To be kind and considerate
Be gentle with me
To handle me with care because I am vulnerable
Because I'm sentimental over you
I'm attached to you because of the strong feelings developing inside me.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Integrity Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: George Bassman, Ned Washington
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind