Gerry Mulligan - Dream a Little Dream (Telarc, 1994)

Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax
Ted Rosenthal, piano
Dean Johnson, bass
Ron Vincent, drums

Bill Mays, piano

Recorded April 14-16 & 28-29, 1994

Clinton Recording Studio A, NYC

Engineer: Jack Renner

Thanks to my oldest brother, I became a Gerry Mulligan fan when I was 10 years old. His LPs from the mid 1950s were the soundtrack for my pre-adolescent years, before I got interested in rock and roll. Jazz was especially popular during the 1950s, so I was not alone in my appreciation of Mulligan, Monk, Brubeck, the MJQ, and many others. I started my own jazz collection when I had the money. Most often played was Mulligan's What Is There to Say? (Columbia, 1959). 

Fast forward 40 years to the 1990s, and there was Gerry Mulligan, recording quartet music on the high-brow Telarc label. In contrast to Mulligan's Lonesome Boulevard (A&M, 1990), which features new Mulligan originals, Dream a Little Dream has a mix of standards and original compositions, some old and some new. The album overall could be considered a "slow cooker," given the preponderance of ballads and standards. Nonetheless, Mulligan's wonderful tone and mastery of the baritone sax remain intact. 

Ted Rosenthal and Bill Mays are the perfect choices for piano duties. Rosenthal is an outstanding accompanist, just what the quartet session calls for. Mulligan performs two duets with guest pianist Mays: "My Funny Valentine" and "As Close as Pages in a Book." The duets obviously shine more light on the piano than the quartet numbers do, but the album's dreamy mood pervades all tracks. 

The sound is first rate. The digital recording is warm and detailed, especially on the piano solos. On the quartets, drums and bass are in the background as they should be.

Mulligan died in 1996 at age 69, less than two years after recording Dream a Little Dream. His music shaped my understanding of jazz and touched me deeply at a young age. It still does.

For my review of Mulligan's Lonesome Boulevard, go to:

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