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
You Took Advantage of Me
Gerry Mulligan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It must go to someone of course
It can't be sister or brother
And so I love my horse
But horses are frequently silly
Mine ran from the beach of Okhala
And left me alone for a filly
So I have picked you up
I'm a sentimental sap, that's all
What's the use of trying not to fall?
I have no will, you've made your kill
Cause you took advantage of me
I'm just like an apple on a bough
And you're gonna shake me down somehow
So, what's the use, you've cooked my goose
Cause you took advantage of me
I'm so hot and bothered that
I don't know my elbow from my ear
I suffer something awful each time
You go and much worse when you're near
Here I am with all my bridges burned
Just a babe in arms where you're concerned
So lock the doors and call me yours
Cause you took advantage of me.
I'm a sentimental sap, that's all
What's the use of trying not to fall?
I have no will, you've made your kill
Cause you took advantage of me
I'm just like an apple on a bough
And you're gonna shake me down somehow
So, what's the use, you've cooked my goose
Cause you took advantage of me
I'm so hot and bothered that
I don't know my elbow from my ear
I suffer something awful each time
You go and much worse when you're near
Here I am with all my bridges burned
Just a babe in arms where you're concerned
So lock the doors and call me yours
Cause you took advantage of me
You took advantage of me
The lyrics of "You Took Advantage Of Me" by Gerry Mulligan & Concert Jazz Band are a humorous and satirical take on the concept of love and its effects on people. The first set of lyrics portrays the singer as someone who is unable to find a suitable recipient for their love, settling instead to direct their affections towards a horse. The absurdity of the situation is further highlighted by the fact that the horse eventually leaves the singer for another.
The second set of lyrics then falls into a more conventional portrayal of love, where the singer is emotionally vulnerable and helpless in the face of their feelings for the other person. The repeated line "you took advantage of me" is a testament to the power the other person holds over the singer, and the inability to resist them despite any negative consequences it may bring. The lyrics are self-deprecating in nature, with the singer admitting to being a "sentimental sap" and having "no will."
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of love as a force that can evoke both absurdity and vulnerability, and that despite the risks, people still find themselves unable to resist its pull.
Line by Line Meaning
When a girl has the heart of a mother
When a woman has a nurturing spirit,
It must go to someone of course
it is natural for her to share that love and care,
It can't be sister or brother
but it cannot be with a sibling,
And so I love my horse
so instead, I love my beloved horse,
But horses are frequently silly
however, horses are often unpredictable,
Mine ran from the beach of Okhala
in fact, my horse ran away from the shore of Okhala,
And left me alone for a filly
leaving me all by myself, seeking the love of a young mare,
So I have picked you up
but I have chosen you instead to be my companion.
I'm a sentimental sap, that's all
I'm just a hopeless romantic, nothing more,
What's the use of trying not to fall?
Why bother resisting the inevitable feeling of love?
I have no will, you've made your kill
I have no strength to resist, you have conquered me,
Cause you took advantage of me
because you took advantage of my vulnerable heart.
I'm just like an apple on a bough
I am like a ripe fruit waiting to be picked,
And you're gonna shake me down somehow
and you will take hold of me by any means necessary,
So, what's the use, you've cooked my goose
so there is no point in denying it, you have won me over completely,
I'm so hot and bothered that
I am so overcome with emotion that,
I don't know my elbow from my ear
I can't tell my left from my right,
I suffer something awful each time
I endure unbearable pain every time
You go and much worse when you're near
you are gone, and much worse when you are here,
Here I am with all my bridges burned
I am completely vulnerable and exposed,
Just a babe in arms where you're concerned
feeling like a child in your presence,
So lock the doors and call me yours
so please, protect me and claim me as your own,
Cause you took advantage of me.
because you have captured my heart and soul completely.
You took advantage of me
You took advantage of my vulnerability and love for you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@skiddoo-fr9ex
Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone
Don Ferrara, Conte Candoli and Nick Travis - trumpet
Wayne Andre - trombone
Alan Raph - bass trombone
Bob Brookmeyer - valve trombone
Dick Meldonian - alto saxophone
Gene Quill - alto saxophone, clarinet
Zoot Sims - tenor saxophone
Gene Allen - baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
@dennisbehm6687
Personnel - Saxes: Gerry Mulligan, Dick Meldonian, Zoot Sims and Gene Allan. Clarinet & alto sax: Gene Quill. Trumpets: Nick Travis, Don Ferrara & Conte Condoli. Trombones: Bob Brookmeyer, Wayne Andre & Alan Raph. Bass: Buddy Clark. Drums: Mel Lewis
@bernardmaloney5484
I love it! No Piano.