AUGUST 16


       GERRY MULLIGAN
   Quartet with Chet Baker


           Recording Date:
              August 16, 1952  tk 10,15
              September 2, 1952  tk 1,4,8,9
              Oct 15-16, 1952  tk 2,5,19-20,23

          Personnel:
                Chet Baker       TP
                Gerry Mulligan  BS
                Bob Whitlock    B
                Chico Hamilton D

                Carson Smith    B tk 1,4,8,9

                                                                     LINK


Review by Scott Yanow
Baritonist Gerry Mulligan's pianoless quartet of 1952-1953 with trumpeter Chet Baker was one of the most popular groups of the period and an influential force on West Coast Jazz. Mulligan's interplay with Baker looked back toward the collective improvisation of Dixieland but utilized up-to-date harmonies. This four-CD set overlaps with a previous (and now out-of-print) five-LP Mosaic box. In addition to all of the Pacific Jazz (as opposed to Fantasy and GNP/Crescendo) recordings of the Mulligan Quartet (including the hit version of "My Funny Valentine"),  Despite both musicians remaining active for over 30 years, Mulligan and Baker only teamed up again on one occasion, for a 1970s Carnegie Hall concert released by CTI. The consistently delightful music on this box (much of which is classic) is highly recommended for all jazz collections.

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