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
Lover
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
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I long to try something I never had
Never had no kissing
Oh, what I've been missing
Lover man, oh, where can you be
The night is cold and I'm so alone
I'd give my soul just to call you my own
But no one to love me
Lover man, oh, where can you be
I've heard it said
That the thrill of romance
Can be like a heavenly dream
I go to bed with a prayer
That you'll make love to me
Strange as it seems
Someday we'll meet
And you'll dry all my tears
Then whisper sweet
Little things in my ear
Hugging and a kissing
Oh, what we've been missing
Lover man, oh, where can you be
I've heard it said
That the thrill of romance
Can be like a heavenly dream
I go to bed with a prayer
That you'll make love to me
Strange as it seems
Someday we'll meet
And you'll dry all my tears
Then whisper sweet
Little things in my ear
Hugging and a kissing
Oh, what we've been missing
Lover man, oh, where can you be
In "Lover Man," the singer is lamenting the absence of a lover, and is feeling sad and lonely. She longs for the experience of being kissed, and wonders where her lover could possibly be. She is alone on a cold night with only the moon above her, and wishes for someone to love her. Despite the loneliness, she believes in the power of love and says that someday they will meet and all her tears will be dried. She dreams of being kissed and hugged, and wonders what she has been missing.
The lyrics of "Lover Man" perfectly capture the longing and loneliness of a person searching for love. The singer's vulnerability and honesty are palpable, making the listener empathize with her pain. The use of repetition and rhyming emphasize the depth of her longing and the importance of the feeling she is searching for. The song is both melancholic and hopeful, as the singer believes that someday she will find the love she is searching for, and all her pain will be washed away.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know why but I'm feeling so sad
I cannot explain this inexplicable sadness.
I long to try something I never had
I have an ever-present desire to try new things.
Never had no kissing
I have never experienced the tender touch and lip-to-lip connection of a romantic kiss.
Oh, what I've been missing
I lament the fact that I have not had any romantic experiences that have satisfied my desires.
Lover man, oh, where can you be
I am searching for a lover who can satisfy my yearning desires.
The night is cold and I'm so alone
I am experiencing a deeply felt loneliness on this chilly, dark night.
I'd give my soul just to call you my own
I would do anything to possess the person who could fulfill all of my desires and make me feel whole.
Got a moon above me
The moon graces me with its light in the dark night sky.
But no one to love me
No one is offering me the kind of love that I need and desire.
Lover man, oh, where can you be
I am seeking the one person who can fill the void in my heart and bring me the love I need to be happy.
I've heard it said
That the thrill of romance
Can be like a heavenly dream
I go to bed with a prayer
That you'll make love to me
Strange as it seems
Although it seems strange, I hold out hope that the thrill of a romantic relationship can bring me joy like a blissful dream. I pray every night that the person who can fill all of my desires will soon make love to me.
Someday we'll meet
And you'll dry all my tears
Then whisper sweet
Little things in my ear
Hugging and a kissing
Oh, what we've been missing
Lover man, oh, where can you be
I dream of meeting the perfect lover who will dry my tears and whisper sweet nothings in my ear. The thought of hugging and kissing makes me feel like there is still so much of the romantic experience that I have been missing. I hope to find that lover soon, so I continue to ask, 'Lover man, oh, where can you be?'
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., S.A. MUSIC
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind