Gerry Mulligan | |
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![]() Mulligan, c. 1980s, by William P. Gottlieb | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Gerald Joseph Mulligan |
Born | Queens, New York, U.S. | April 6, 1927
Died | January 20, 1996 Darien, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 68)
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Years active | 1946–1996 |
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Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru,[6] was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger.[7] Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz—Mulligan was also a significant arranger working with Claude Thornhill, Miles Davis, Stan Kenton, and others. His piano-less quartet of the early 1950s with trumpeter Chet Baker is still regarded as one of the best cool jazz ensembles. Mulligan was also a skilled pianist and played several other reed instruments. Several of his compositions including "Walkin' Shoes" and "Five Brothers", have become standards.