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
Sweet & Lovely
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweeter than the roses in May
Sweet and lovely
Heaven must have sent him my way
Skies above me
Never were as blue as his eyes
And he loves me
When he nestles in my arms so tenderly
There's a thrill that words cannot express
In my heart a song of love is taunting me
Melody haunting me
Sweet and lovely
Sweeter than the roses in May
And he loves me
There is nothing more I can say
When he nestles in my arms so tenderly
There's a thrill that words cannot express
In my heart a song of love is taunting me
Melody haunting me
Sweet and lovely
Sweeter than the roses in May
And he loves me
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
There is nothing more I can say
The song "Sweet And Lovely" by the Gerry Mulligan Sextet is a romantic ballad that speaks of the sweet and lovely qualities of the singer's lover. The lyrics portray the singer as being deeply in love with someone who has all the qualities of someone sent from heaven. The singer describes how their lover is sweeter than the roses in May and how their eyes are bluer than the skies above them. The singer is grateful and amazed that someone like this would love them and is unable to express the feelings this love inspires in words or song.
The song is a melodic testament to the power of love in one's life. The sound of the saxophone solo speaks of the emotions that the lover evokes in the singer. The song is about the sweetest kind of love which brings joy and happiness to both the lover and the beloved. The lyrics are simple and heartfelt and capture the essence of a love that is both sweet and lovely.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweet and lovely
Referring to the person the singer is in love with whom she describes fondly
Sweeter than the roses in May
The person is so sweet that even the roses in May cannot compare
Sweet and lovely
Repetition of the first line to emphasize how wonderful the person is
Heaven must have sent him my way
The singer believes that the person was a gift sent by heaven
Skies above me
Referring to the sky above as a metaphor for happiness or bliss
Never were as blue as his eyes
The person's eyes are so beautiful that not even the sky can compare
And he loves me
The person reciprocates the singer's love
Who would want a sweeter surprise?
The singer is grateful and content with the person and does not need anything sweeter
When he nestles in my arms so tenderly
The singer feels a sense of comfort and warmth when the person is close to her
There's a thrill that words cannot express
The feeling the singer gets is so intense that words cannot accurately describe it
In my heart a song of love is taunting me
The singer's heart is filled with love and it is constantly reminding her of it
Melody haunting me
The love that the singer feels is constantly on her mind and is like a haunting melody
There is nothing more I can say
The singer has described the person's perfection and there is nothing more to add
There is nothing more I can say
Repetition of the previous line, emphasizing that the person is perfect
There is nothing more I can say
The singer has fully expressed her feelings and there is nothing else to say
There is nothing more I can say
Repetition of the previous line, indicating that the singer is completely content with the person
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, HARRY TOBIAS MUSIC COMPANY, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHARLES N. DANIELS, GUS ARNHEIM, HARRY TOBIAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SmileTimeGifts
amazing rendition ! can you even imagine hearing this at the time?
@kyriakosioannou1955
what if love was illegal, huh