Gerry Mulligan quotes

Gerry Mulligan was an influential American jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger, widely recognized for his work in the cool jazz movement. His innovative baritone saxophone playing helped shape the sound of modern jazz and popularized the piano-less quartet format. He became one of jazz’s most respected musicians and collaborated with leading artists of his time. Here are 31 of his quotes:

Because if you've got the wit, you can make anything into a melody, ultimately. (Gerry Mulligan)
You start way down on a low B flat on the tuba and you have a chromatic scale; you can match the colours all the way up, till you get to the top of the trumpet. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
I've always wanted a C trumpet on top, to have that same kind of facility without shouting. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
This life of being a transient human being has gotten to a point when it's very hard to bear. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
I'm fascinated with the electronic devices that we can mess around with. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
Miles Davis is one who writes songs when he plays. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
The first reason for starting to do the symphony concerts was to play this new piece of mine. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
In a way, I started out to be a baritone player. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
Eliminating the piano means that I've always worked closer with the bass than most players. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
Actually, it is a fact that I've been doing more writing than playing in recent years. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
The baritone can serve functions that the alto and tenor cannot, in orchestral voicing. (Gerry Mulligan)
If you've only got one horn playing, I still want the sense of ensemble. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
People are approaching electronic levels in music; although not all of it happens to tickle my fancy. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
I like what I hear other guys doing, but the thing that really attracts me is melodic playing. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
New York is still where I live most of the time. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
Then, of course, I played alto and tenor, wherever there were jobs. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
I've appeared on some other people's albums. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
Only the French, I guess, really use tenor and alto to any great extent in the orchestra. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
The recording industry has changed; they're enjoying such incredible success in the pop field. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
It's true I've always been attracted to the jazz band in an orchestral way, rather than a band way. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
When we've finished the current tour I'm going to go back to Italy and see if I can do some more writing. (Gerry Mulligan)
The Russian composers, especially, tricked the symphony orchestra into the kind of dynamic, rhythmic thing. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
So I played alto for quite a while until I saved up the money for the baritone. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
When I began listening to saxophones, I was first attracted to Coleman Hawkins. View quote
Gerry Mulligan
Now, the instrumentation in the jazz band and the jazz dance band has gone through many evolutions. For instance, in the 'twenties the tradition was two or three saxophones. View quote
Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan - Image
Occupation: American Musician
Born: April 6, 1927
Died: January 20, 1996
Quotes count: 31