Gerald Joseph “Gerry” Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) from Quee… Read Full Bio ↴Gerald Joseph “Gerry” Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) from Queens, NY was an American jazz baritone saxophonist, composer and arranger.

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

The Song Is Ended
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My thoughts go back to a heavenly dance
A moment of bliss we spent
Our hearts were filled with a song of romance
As into the night we went
And sang to our hearts' content

The song is ended
But the melody lingers on

You and the song are gone
But the melody lingers on

The night was splendid
And the melody seemed to say
"Summer will pass away
Take your happiness while you may"

There 'neath the light of the moon
We sang a love song that ended too soon

The moon descended
And I found with the break of dawn

You and the song had gone
But the melody lingers on

Overall Meaning

In Gerry Mulligan's song "The Song Is Ended," the lyrics poetically depict a nostalgic reminiscing of a past romantic encounter. The singer's thoughts transport them back to a heavenly dance, where they experienced a moment of pure bliss with someone special. The dance was accompanied by a song of romance, and as the night progressed, they sang together to their hearts' content.

However, the song is now ended, and the person they shared this beautiful moment with is no longer present. Despite the absence of the person and the end of the song itself, the melody lingers on in their memory. This lingering melody symbolizes the lasting impact that the shared experience had on the singer's heart and soul.

The lyrics further describe the night as splendid, emphasizing the magical ambiance that surrounded their encounter. The melody seemed to carry a message, reminding them that summer and happiness are fleeting and should be embraced and cherished while they last.

The song concludes with the recognition that as the night turned into dawn, both the person and the song had disappeared. However, the profound effect of the melody remains, echoing within the singer's consciousness.

Overall, "The Song Is Ended" captures the bittersweet nostalgia and longing for a past love, encapsulating the ephemeral nature of happiness and the lasting impact of shared experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

My thoughts go back to a heavenly dance
I reminisce about a beautiful, joyful moment

A moment of bliss we spent
We experienced pure happiness

Our hearts were filled with a song of romance
Love overwhelmed our hearts

As into the night we went
We ventured into the darkness

And sang to our hearts' content
We expressed our emotions through singing

The song is ended
The moment has passed

But the melody lingers on
However, the essence of that experience remains

You and the song are gone
You and the joyful atmosphere have departed

But the melody lingers on
Yet, the essence of that experience continues to exist

The night was splendid
The evening was magnificent

And the melody seemed to say
The tune appeared to convey