Themes
Songs
Chronology
|
Collection Themes Songs Chronology | |
Gerry Mulligan Songbook | |
|
|
| Bill Charlap, Dean Johnson, Ted Rosenthal, Ron Vincent June 6-7, 1996 | |
LINER NOTES |
| The first time we ever heard Bill Charlap play he was ten or eleven years old. We were invited to dinner at the home he shared with his parents singer Sandy Stewart Charlap and the late composer Moose Charlap. Moose (to whom Bill bears a marked resemblance, physically and musically) was a uniquely gifted man who wrote wonderful songs which he sang in an unforgettably sweet gravel voice. Bill, (then known as Billy), excitedly went to the piano and asked us to listen as he played "The Windmills Of Your Mind", which he had learned from repeated listenings to the Jack Jones recording. Even then his musical tastes were sophisticated. Michel Legrand's baroque invention was quite an interesting choice for a ten year old. We've followed his career, and we're not at all surprised that he is the superbly accomplished pianist he is today. The first time we ever heard Ted Rosenthal (live) was at a memorial for Gerry Mulligan shortly after his death. Assembled at St. Peter's (the Jazz Church) in New York City, were some of the most celebrated virtuosos of jazz: Lee Konitz, Clark Terry, George Shearing, Dave Brubeck, Dave Grusin, among many others. Legend followed legend to the rostrum to pay tribute to Gerry musically. Throughout the program, from time to time, either as a soloist or accompanist to another artist, Ted made it clear why he is viewed as one of the most brilliant musicians inhabiting the jazz world of today. We'd been familiar with his recorded work, fans of his Maybeck Hall Concert CD in particular. So it was with great anticipation that we sat down to listen to a two piano (plus rhythm section) conversation about Gerry Mulligan. About Gerry Mulligan. We have been long time friends of Gerry's. Of course, long before we ever met him (or each other for that matter), we'd been in awe of his genius as a player, composer and arranger. This respect and admiration continued to grow over the years, as did Gerry's body of work. In listening to this CD, we are, as always, struck by the elegance and eloquence of Gerry's music. Its intelligence is undeniable, no matter the tempo, the groove, the genre. As we were listening in on this conversation of Bill and Ted's on the subject of Gerry Mulligan, we marveled how they exchanged statements, expressed feelings and ideas - always listening to each other, always respecting the others opinion and space. Their artistry is stunning. And providing the perfect environment for this dialogue are Dean Johnson on bass and Ron Vincent on drums, adding the most relevant comments of their own. There is no question that these four extraordinary musicians know what they're talking about. We have always said that one of the albums we would choose to take with us to a desert island was Andre Previn's "My Fair Lady" (with the great Shelley Manne and Leroy Vinegar). This new release by these four outstanding young musicians is its descendent and must also be taken along. We love this album. What's more, Gerry would love this album. ALAN AND MARILYN BERGMAN PRODUCER NOTES When we were casting about for a title for this CD, Bill Charlap suggested we call it simply The Gerry Mulligan Quartet. His rationale was that for all the years he had been part of Gerry's group with Dean Johnson and Ron Vincent, the quartet was billed as Gerry Mulligan and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. When Ted Rosenthal took Bill's place, the billing remained the same. And so, here were four guys, all members of The Gerry Mulligan Quartet; it seemed to make sense. We thought better of it and opted for The Gerry Mulligan Songbook (yes we know World Pacific first used this title in 1958 and the reissue used it once again). Ron Vincent was the impetus behind this project; he telephoned in March or April 1996 and suggested it. We jumped on it because it made musical sense. Ron had been with Gerry for seven years; Dean for even longer, since 1985. Between them, Bill and Ted had been Gerry's pianist for a decade and being a pianist with a Gerry Mulligan group required an artist of particular talent and temperament. Gerry Mulligan wrote many of his finest compositions at the piano and his earliest successes were with groups that did not have a regular pianist. If one was required he might play; later Bob Brookmeyer did as well. The first chore was to secure a time when all four guys were available and then to coordinate that with Rudy Van Gelder. Bill and Ted then went to Steinway Hall to check pianos, where they decided on an appropriate instrument to match the Steinway D at Van Gelder Recording Studio. The piano was delivered and two days of concentrated recording commenced. It was not just a quartet; Rudy Van Gelder, Maureen Sickler, and a fulltime piano technician, worked just as hard as the guys who were performing. All of the selections recorded were chosen by the four members of the quartet, songs they knew had special meaning to Gerry or to themselves, or songs frequently played by Gerry and his quartet. There might have been any number of other likely candidates, but those chosen seemed to work well for the two piano quartet; some songs are just more suited for this than others. And who knows, this recording turned out so well, perhaps we'll record the group once again; it wouldn't be hard to find more appropriate compositions. The quartet did not play all the selections. Curtains and Walkin' Shoes are piano duos and Bark For Barksdale is a trio for two pianos and drums. Lonesome Boulevard is a trio with Ted, Dean and Ron; Noblesse is also a trio, but Bill is featured. When all the hard work was completed and all were satisfied with the marvelous music they'd made, Bill was thrown to the floor by Ron, Dean and Ted, when he suggested he'd like to fix just one more thing. Maybe next time; there's nothing on this CD that is anything less than exceptional or needs to be fixed and we hope all those who enjoy the music of Gerry Mulligan, an American master if there ever was one, agree. |
| Collection Themes Songs Chronology | |
