Gerry Mulligan: A Ballad

As chief arranger and co-principal soloist, Gerry Mulligan helped deliver Miles Davis's obstetric triumph Birth of the Cool (1949-50). Three years later and on the opposite coast, Mulligan added a second trumpet and baritone sax to the 1950 BOTC octet lineup for an ad hoc "Tentette" that proved nearly as influential as the earlier band. Gerry contributes a lovely solo to this track, but its appeal is his gorgeous arrangement, answering Gil Evans's miraculous "Moon Dreams" chart for BOTC. "A Ballad" is deficient only in its titlerather like naming your newborn "A Baby." Otherwise it's three minutes of perfection.