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
My Old Flame
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't even think of his name
But it's funny now and then
How my thoughts go flashing back again
To my old flame
My old flame
My new lovers all seem so tame
For I haven't met a gent
So innocent or elegant
As my old flame
I've met so many men
With fascinating ways
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Some who sent me up to the skies
But their attempts at love
Were only imitations of
My old flame
I can't even think of his name
But I'll never be the same
Until I discover what became
Of my old flame
I've met so many men
With fascinating ways
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Some who sent me up to the skies
But their attempts at love
Were only imitations of
My old flame
I can't even think of his name
But I'll never be the same
Until I discover what became
Of my old flame
In Gerry Mulligan's song My Old Flame, the singer begins by stating that she cannot even remember the name of her old flame. Nevertheless, she finds it amusing how her thoughts often go flashing back to this past love interest. She goes on to express how her new lovers all seem to lack the same intensity and sophistication as her old flame. She has met numerous men with captivating personalities and alluring gazes, some of whom swept her off her feet, but none of them could compare to the sophistication of her previous flame. She ends the song stating that until she uncovers what happened to old flame, she will never be the same.
The lyrics of this song showcase a common sentimental trope in music, that of nostalgia and the longing for a past love or the past in general. The singer's inability to recall the name of her old flame symbolizes the ephemeral nature of romantic relationships and how memories of them can become foggy. Despite not being able to call her old lover's name, the singer still holds love and admiration for her past flame, displaying the longevity and intensity of her emotions. The song also hints at the idea that the singer's past lover outshone her subsequent partners, highlighting the rarity and uniqueness of true love.
Line by Line Meaning
My old flame
The person I used to be deeply in love with
I can't even think of his name
I've moved on so much that I don't even remember his name anymore
But it's funny now and then
It's amusing how memories of him come back once in a while
How my thoughts go flashing back again
How my mind involuntarily shows me images of our past love
My old flame
The person I used to be deeply in love with
My new lovers all seem so tame
My new partners aren't as passionate as my old love
For I haven't met a gent
I haven't met a man
So innocent or elegant
Who was as pure or refined as my old love
As my old flame
As the person I used to be deeply in love with
I've met so many men
I've dated many people
With fascinating ways
With interesting personalities
A fascinating gaze in their eyes
Eyes that caught my attention
Some who sent me up to the skies
Some who took me to heavenly heights of pleasure
But their attempts at love
But their efforts to love me
Were only imitations of
Were just copies of
My old flame
The person I used to be deeply in love with
I can't even think of his name
I've moved on so much that I don't even remember his name anymore
But I'll never be the same
But I'll never forget the love I had for him
Until I discover what became
Until I find out what happened
Of my old flame
To the person I used to be deeply in love with
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SAM COSLOW, ARTHUR JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bob boscarato
Smooth melody and nice solos!