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
Yesterdays
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't the moon look lonesome shining through the tree
Don't your arms look lonesome when your baby's packed to leave
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today, today,
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today
If you can't do better, might as well just stay away
The lyrics of Gerry Mulligan's song Yesterdays seem to convey the feeling of loneliness and sorrow after a loved one has left. The opening line of "Don't the moon look lonesome shining through the tree" sets the scene of solitude and emptiness. This line is followed by "Don't your arms look lonesome when your baby's packed to leave," which emphasizes the feeling of heartbreak when a loved one is leaving. The repetition of the word "lonesome" creates a somber atmosphere and perfectly portrays the sentiment being conveyed in the song.
Furthermore, the lyrics "Sent for you yesterday, here you come today, today, Sent for you yesterday, here you come today," suggest that the person being spoken to is unreliable and has come too late. The final line, "If you can't do better, might as well just stay away," conveys frustration at this person's unreliability and lack of commitment. Overall, these lyrics reveal the emotions of heartbreak, loneliness, and frustration, and suggest a lack of faith in the person being addressed.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't the moon look lonesome shining through the tree
Doesn't the sight of the moon shining through the tree evoke a feeling of loneliness?
Don't your arms look lonesome when your baby's packed to leave
Don't your arms look empty and desolate when your loved one leaves you?
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today, today,
I asked for you to be here with me yesterday, but you only arrived today, which is too late.
Sent for you yesterday, here you come today
I requested your presence in the past, and now that you have arrived, it seems pointless as the opportunity has passed.
If you can't do better, might as well just stay away
If you know that you can’t make an effort to improve, you might as well not even try to come back.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COUNT BASIE, EDDIE DURHAM, JAMES RUSHING, JAMES ANDREW RUSHING, WILLIAM COUNT BASIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind