In early 1958, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan formed a new pianoless quartet, featuring Art Farmer on trumpet, Henry Grimes on bass and Dave Bailey on drums. By July, Bill Crow had replaced Grimes on bass. The post-war, no-piano format was first pioneered by Mulligan in 1952, with Chet Baker on trumpet, Bob Whitlock on bass and Chico Hamilton on drums. The absence of a piano to fill space compelled the quartet to be more contrapuntal in its execution.
But the lack of piano in the new quartet's lineup didn't stop Mulligan from setting down his baritone sax twice and sitting in at the keyboard.
A number of concerts in the U.S. and Europe by the Mulligan-Farmer-Crow-Bailey quartet were taped along with studio albums, including performances at the Newport Jazz Festival and Cannes Jazz Festival in France in July 1958, a studio album backing Annie Ross for Pacific Jazz in September, the Monterey Jazz Festival in October, What Is There to Say for Columbia in December and The Quartets in February 1959.
By May of 1959, the group was in Stockholm. Sweden, performing as part of the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert tour of Europe and Scandinavia. In Stockholm, the live event took place at the city's Konserthuset.
The music has appeared a couple of times over the years as bootlegs and not in the greatest shape from an audio standpoint.
Now, New Land Records in the U.K. has released the concert's tracks in pristine audio condition on 180-gram vinyl, CD and download. Working with the Swedish National Radio Archives and the Gerry Mulligan estate, the label was able to locate the original master tapes from inside the Sveriges Radio vault and transfer reels to Kevin Gray, who re-mastered them, giving the recording a fresh, clean sound.
I’m told by New Land that What Is There to Say?, which appeared on earlier releases, wasn’t part of the original concert. New Land wanted to present the concert as performed.
Mulligan's baritone saxophone here is first-rate, as is sterling playing by Farmer and Bill Crow's bass. Unfortunately, Bailey's drums weren’t originally miked well and are faint.
The tracks:
- As Catch as Catch Can (by Gerry Mulligan)
- I Can't Get Started With You (w/ Mulligan on piano)
- Just in Time
- Spring Is Sprung (by Mulligan, w/ Mulligan on piano)
- Blueport (by Art Farmer)
- Utter Chaos (by Mulligan)
The album not only gives us a chance to hear this quartet in action but also Mulligan on piano. He wasn’t an accomplished pianist, but he was an arranger, so his approach on the keyboard and his chord voicings come from than discipline. In effect, his chords shows us how he would have arrange for a big band. It’s also terrific to hear this music remastered.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Gerry Mulligan: Spring in Stockholm here (to buy) and here (to listen).
JazzWax clips: Here's Just in Time...
And here's Utter Chaos, based on the chord changes to Love Is Just Around the Corner...
