ProJazz.net

Gerry Mulligan was only 19 in 1946 when he joined Gene Krupa’s band, playing a bit of alto and tenor sax, but primarily serving as an arranger. But the Verve LP Gene Krupa Plays Gerry Mulligan Arrangements wasn’t made until 1958, long after Mulligan went out on his own. Although there are solo features built into the framework of each piece, Mulligan was quite confident in his ability to showcase the entire band as well. Mulligan’s “Disc Jockey Jump” became a hit for Krupa, though it wasn’t recorded until after he left the band. The vague liner notes fail to identify any of the musicians in Krupa’s big band, which includes Jimmy Cleveland, Hank Jones, Barry Galbraith, Kai Winding, and Phil Woods, though Woods’ alto sax solos are easily identifiable to his fans. Baritone saxophonist Danny Bank is a bit disappointing compared to what Mulligan could have recorded on the instrument, though it would have been unlikely that the composer would have been interested in rejoining Krupa, even for one record date, at the time it was recorded. It’s surprising that this excellent LP remained out of print for so long, particularly with the strong resurgence of interest in all aspects of Mulligan’s work since his death in 1996 (AllMusic Review by Ken Dryden, https://goo.gl/ZtpUXr).

Track listing:
A1 Bird House (Mulligan) – 3:01
A2 Margie (Davis, Conrad, Robinson) – 3:13
A3 Mulligan Stew (Krupa, Mulligan) – 3:59
A4 Begin The Beguine (Porter) – 3:47
A5 Sugar (Alexander, Pinkard, Mitchell) – 2:45
A6 The Way Of All Flesh (Mulligan) – 2:49
B1 Disc Jockey Jump (Krupa, Mulligan) – 3:07
B2 Birds Of A Feather(Mulligan) – 3:20
B3 Sometimes I’m Happy (Grey, Caesar, Youmans) – 3:36
B4 How High The Moon (Lewis, Hamilton) – 3:17label ver
B5 If You Were The Only Girl In The World (Grey, Ayer) – 4:47
B6 Yardbird Suite (Parker) – 5:37

Personnel:

Phil Woods, Doc Severinsen, Ernie Royal, Kai Winding, Jimmy Cleveland, Hank Jones, Barry Galbraith and others.

________________________________

Label: Verve Records ‎– MG VS-6008
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereophonic
Country: US
Released: 1959