Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster [Complete]

Performer: Gerry Mulligan
Artist: Jimmy Rowles; Mel Lewis; Leroy Vinnegar
Producer: Norman Granz
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: The last 5 tracks are previously unreleased songs from the original sessions. Personnel: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Jimmy Rowles (piano); Leroy Vinnegar (bass); Mel Lewis (drums). Recorded November 3 and December 2, 1959. Personnel: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Jimmy Rowles (piano); Leroy Vinnegar (bass); Mel Lewis (drums). Recorded on November 3 and December 2, 1959. Personnel: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Jimmie Rowles (piano); Leroy Vinnegar (bass); Mel Lewis (drums). All tracks have been digitally remastered. This is part of the Verve Master Editions series. Personnel: Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Ben Webster (tenor saxophone); Jimmy Rowles (piano); Mel Lewis (drums). Liner Note Author: Phil Schaap. Recording information: 11/03/1959-12/02/1959. Although an earlier CD added five previously unissued tracks to the original LP Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster, this Verve Master Edition two-CD set adds just about everything else recorded during the two sessions that produced the original record, and also features 20-bit sound. Even though Gerry Mulligan was outspoken against issuing material omitted from his original recordings, it is a treat to hear how the songs evolved in the studio. Webster and Mulligan seem mutually inspired throughout the sessions, and strong performances by pianist Jimmy Rowles, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Mel Lewis are of considerable help. The music is presented in the order in which it was recorded, with each CD devoted to a separate session. In both cases it is clear that the initial takes of music from the Ellington songbook ("In a Mellotone" and "Chelsea Bridge") are more focused than the follow-up versions. They only needed one try to nail "What Is This Thing Called Love?" (also left off the LP), in an understated setting that shows off their beautiful interplay. Their barely disguised reworking of "I Got Rhythm," called "Who's Got Rhythm," was likely an effortless performance, though Webster seems to briefly laugh in the middle of his solo. Webster's swinging "Fajista" opens the second date, followed by two takes of Mulligan's beautiful ballad "Tell Me When." Webster's "Blues in B-Flat" is another fine swinger inexplicably left off the LP, and Rowles kicks off the oldie "Sunday" with a brief stride piano introduction (something Webster played himself but rarely in a recording studio). Fans on a budget can probably make due with the earlier CD reissue but serious fans of Mulligan and/or Webster should invest in this very rewarding set instead. ~ Ken Dryden The swing and bop start right here on this legendary 1959 session between baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and tenor man Ben Webster. The opening track, Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge," is lush and emotional and truly sets the tone for this album. With Jimmy Rowles on piano (his intro on "Sunday" sounds like a ragtimer like Willie "The Lion" Smith just pushed him off the stool before the band came in), Mel Lewis on drums, and always superb Leroy Vinnegar on bass present and accounted for, the rhythm section is superbly swinging with just the right amount of bop lines and chords in the mix to spice things up. The ghost of Duke Ellington hovers over every note on this record (Billy Strayhorn was one of his main arrangers), and that is a very good thing indeed. There's a beautiful understated quality to the music on this session that makes it the perfect "relaxing around the house on a rainy day" disc to pop in the player. File this one under cool, very smooth, and supple. ~ Cub Koda This album combines the talents of two jazz giants. Saxophonist Ben Webster was one of the instrument's most influential exponents, primarily through his work with Duke Ellington. Mulligan, meanwhile, was an integral part of the 50s west coast movement and this set represents the confluence of two different generations. The featured quintet includes drummer Mel Lewis and bassist Leroy Vinnegar (who later played on the Doors' The Soft Parade), but the six tracks are noteworthy for the splendid empathy struck by Mulligan (baritone) and Webster (tenor). One of several collaborations between the former and notable guest artists, Gerry Mulligan Meets Ben Webster is a fine example of how two seemingly disparate musicians can perform together superbly. Although baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan was briefly typecast as an "heretical modernist" by jazz purists (his piano-less quartet with Chet Baker in 1952 was considered radical), he was really just extending the tradition of swing-era sax giants like Lester Young and his idol, Ben Webster. This laid back, intergenerational summit, recorded in late 1959, grew out of informal Sunday jam sessions Mulligan and Webster had been having at Mulligan's house in L.A. The vibe here is definitely "cool," West Coast-style, with each track soaked in quiet, luminous intensity. Along with the uncluttered accompaniment of pianist Jimmy Rowles, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Mel Lewis, the saxophonists add breathy life to chestnuts like "Chelsea Bridge" and "What Is This Thing Called Love," while Mulligan originals like "The Cat Walk" show off Webster's sly bluesiness. The two-CD set contains all of the original masters, plus six full-length alternate takes and nine extra tracks of breakdowns, rehearsals and studio discussions, providing listeners with an intimate peak into the creative process of these two renowned geniuses. The swing and bop start right here on this legendary 1959 session between baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and tenor man Ben Webster. Billy Strayhorn's "Chelsea Bridge" is lush and emotional and truly sets the tone for this album. With Jimmy Rowles on piano (his intro on "Sunday" sounds like a ragtimer like Willie "The Lion" Smith just pushed him off the stool before the band came in), Mel Lewis on drums, and always superb Leroy Vinnegar on bass present and accounted for, the rhythm section is superbly swinging with just the right amount of bop lines and chords in the mix to spice things up. The ghost of Duke Ellington hovers over every note on this record (Billy Strayhorn was one of his main arrangers), and that is a very good thing indeed. There's a beautiful understated quality to the music on this session that makes it the perfect "relaxing around the house on a rainy day" disc to pop in the player. File this one under cool, very smooth, and supple. [The 1997 Complete Edition features 13 previously unissued takes and rare photographs by William Claxton. This is as close as you can get to hearing the complete sessions exactly as they went down.] ~ Cub Koda

Down Beat (1960) - 5 Stars - Excellent - "..This is one of the great records of jazz.." JazzTimes (2/96, p.99) - "...Few tenor saxophonists now or ever can match the sheer depth of feeling that Webster routinely summons up....[this is an] exquisite session..."

The sensuous blending of textures is as much the hallmark of Gerry Mulligan's compositional style as an understated lyricism is the signature of his work on baritone sax. Both talents were fully displayed in his breakthrough appearance on the celebrated BIRTH OF THE COOL of 1949, an album for which the 21-year-old provided more than half of its innovative compositions. After the 1950s, Mulligan's laid-back style was overshadowed by new developments in jazz and the burgeoning of rock in the '60s and '70s. But his touring and recording schedule continued apace, and he enjoyed fruitful collaborations with an older generation of musicians who had an instinctive affinity for his style.

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