Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also a significant arranger, working with Claude Thornhill, Miles Davis, Stan Kenton, and others. Mulligan's pianoless quartet of the early 1950s with trumpeter Chet Baker is still regarded as one of the best cool jazz groups. Mulligan was also a skilled pianist and played several other reed instruments. Several of his compositions, such as "Walkin' Shoes" and "Five Brothers", have become jazz standards.
Mike Westbrook formed his first band while studying painting at Plymouth Art School in 1958. He moved to London in 1962. His compositions range from large-scale works for jazz and classical ensembles, to music for radio, TV, theatre, opera, dance and cinema. He was awarded the OBE in 1988.
My favorite album in my collection! The total album is AWESOME… Jazz Giants. Composed by Howard Brubeck, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim.
This is an excellent collection of Mcrae's singing and I highly recommend this. It is a must have if you love Carmen.
Live concert: Rotterdam, January 28, 1967.
Duke Ellington was the most important composer in the history of jazz as well as being a bandleader who held his large group together continuously for almost 50 years. The two aspects of his career were related; Ellington used his band as a musical laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically to showcase the talents of his bandmembers, many of whom remained with him for long periods…
A prolific, award-winning Italian trumpet and flügelhorn player known for his warm tone and lyrical style. His style is based on the classic Miles Davis sound of the '50s, and the very lineup of his quintet is reminiscent of Davis' group, with excellent tenor Tino Tracanna. They mostly play originals and the music flows fresh and engaging, never a mere imitation.