Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996) was an American jazz musician and arranger best known for his baritone saxophone playing who also played the piano and the clarinet. However, his reputation early in his career was built as an arranger. 

In the late 1940s, Mulligan worked with the Claude Thornhill band. It was there that he met fellow arranger Gil Evans. Later Mulligan joined with Miles Davis on the ground-breaking album Birth of the Cool. He played baritone sax, wrote Jeru, Venus De Milo, and Rocker, and arranged Godchild and Darn That Dream.

In 1952, Mulligan went to California and formed a combo with Chet Baker. While the group lasted only a year, it was a musical phenomenon.

Over the years, Mulligan (always anxious to play) toured and played with Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and a variety of others.

External link

• The Gerry Mulligan Collection at the Library of Congress