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
Varsity Drag
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we all work while the white folk play
Pulling' them boats from the dawn till sunset
Getting no rest till the judgement day
Don't look up and don't look down
You don't dare make the white boss frown
Bend your knees and bow your head
And pull that rope until you're dead
Let me go 'way from the white man boss
Show me that stream called the River Jordan
That's the old stream that I long to cross
Old Man River, that Old Man River
He must know something, but he don't say nothing
He just keeps rolling, he keeps on rolling along
He don't plant taters, and he don't plant cotton
And them what plants 'em is soon forgotten
But Old Man River, jest keeps rolling along
You and me, we sweat and strain
Bodies all aching and wracked with pain
Tote that barge and lift that bale
You get a little drunk and you land in jail
I get weary and so sick of trying
I'm tired of living, but I'm feared of dying
And Old Man River, he just keeps rolling along
The lyrics in Gerry Mulligan's "Varsity Drag" paint a vivid and sobering picture of the hardships and injustices faced by black laborers working on the Mississippi riverboats during the Jim Crow era. The song describes the exhausting physical labor required of these laborers, who toil relentlessly to pull boats along the river from dawn till sunset, with no respite until the "judgment day." The contrast between the backbreaking work of these laborers and the leisurely activities of the white folk who they serve is also starkly depicted, with the song conveying a palpable sense of anger and frustration at the white boss who must never be disobeyed or displeased.
The chorus of the song is perhaps the most powerful, with Mulligan singing a variation on the famous hymn "Old Man River." Here, the river is personified as a wise and taciturn figure who "must know something, but he don't say nothing" and just "keeps rolling" without regard for who is working or suffering on his banks. This image of the unfeeling river contrasts sharply with the weary and pained bodies of the black laborers who work on its surface. The final lines of the song further underline the sense of despair of the singer, who is "tired of living but feared of dying" and as such can find little comfort in the ceaselessly rolling river.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we all work 'long the Mississippi
We all work along the Mississippi river.
Here we all work while the white folk play
White people play while we work.
Pulling' them boats from the dawn till sunset
We pull boats from sunrise to sunset.
Getting no rest till the judgement day
No rest until we die.
Don't look up and don't look down
Pay attention and don't make mistakes.
You don't dare make the white boss frown
Don't upset the white boss.
Bend your knees and bow your head
Work hard and obey.
And pull that rope until you're dead
Continue working until you die.
Let me go 'way from the Mississippi
I want to leave the Mississippi river.
Let me go 'way from the white man boss
I want to leave the white boss behind.
Show me that stream called the River Jordan
I want to go to the River Jordan.
That's the old stream that I long to cross
I want to cross the River Jordan.
Old Man River, that Old Man River
The river is known as Old Man River.
He must know something, but he don't say nothing
The river is quiet, but knows many things.
He just keeps rolling, he keeps on rolling along
The river keeps flowing endlessly.
He don't plant taters, and he don't plant cotton
The river doesn't plant crops.
And them what plants 'em is soon forgotten
The people who plant the crops are quickly forgotten.
But Old Man River, jest keeps rolling along
But the river keeps flowing endlessly.
You and me, we sweat and strain
We work hard and struggle.
Bodies all aching and wracked with pain
Our bodies hurt and ache from the work.
Tote that barge and lift that bale
We carry heavy loads and work hard.
You get a little drunk and you land in jail
Drinking can get you in trouble with the law.
I get weary and so sick of trying
I get tired and discouraged.
I'm tired of living, but I'm feared of dying
I'm tired of life, but I'm scared to die.
And Old Man River, he just keeps rolling along
The river keeps flowing endlessly.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JEROME KERN, OSCAR II HAMMERSTEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind