Being Gerry Mulligan: My Life in Music is an intimate chronicle of Gerry Mulligan's life and career, told in his own words. This personal narrative reveals great insight into the musician's complex personality. He speaks freely about the important milestones in both his personal and professional life, bringing a new understanding to the man behind the music.

Gerry Mulligan was one of the most important figures in the history of jazz. He was extremely influential as both a composer/arranger and as an instrumentalist. His career spanned an amazing six decades, beginning in the 1940s and continuing up to his death in 1996. Within that time, he worked with almost every major jazz figure, including Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, and Dizzy Gillespie, as well as his own illustrious groups that featured the likes of Chet Baker, Bob Brookmeyer, Art Farmer, and Chico Hamilton.

As a composer, his music was distinct and original. His melodies were masterpieces, logically structured and filled with wit and humor. As an arranger, his linear approach and clever use of counterpoint helped define a new standard for modern jazz orchestration. As an instrumentalist, he is the most significant baritone saxophonist in the history of jazz. Gerry Mulligan single-handedly established the baritone saxophone as a solo voice. As one of the great jazz innovators, his writing and playing influenced entire stylistic movements, including cool jazz and bossa nova. This is his story, the way he wanted it told.

About the Author

Ken Poston is the general manager of Jazz FM88.3 KSDS, San Diego. The founder and director of the Los Angeles Jazz Institute, one of the foremost jazz organizations, Poston oversees the Institute's projects and activities, which include the production of two major jazz festivals annually, concerts, radio broadcasts, and publications. The Jazz Institute also maintains two performance ensembles, the Los Angeles Jazz Orchestra and the Collegiate Neophonic Orchestra of Southern California.

Recognized as a jazz historian and an authority on the history of jazz on the west coast, Poston has taught and lectured widely and currently teaches at UCLA.

Book Information
ISBN 9781493064823
Author Gerry Mulligan
Format Hardback
Page Count 360
Imprint Backbeat
Publisher Globe Pequot Press
Weight(grams) 708g
Dimensions(mm) 232mm * 162mm * 27mm