Jeru

This 1962 session finds Gerry Mulligan in a rather rare recording situation — for the times. His piano-less quartets were remarkable and groundbreaking in the 1950s. On this date, Mulligan is accompanied by legendary pianist Tommy Flanagan, drummer Dave Bailey, bassist Ben Tucker, and conquero Alec Dorsey. He takes the band through seven tunes, only one of which, "Blue Boy," is his own. The music here is relaxed, warm, up and straight-ahead. Dorsey's conga is far from a distraction, and is tastefully woven into the fabric of the quintet. Many of the tunes here, such as Billy Taylor's "Capricious" that opens the set, are uncommon in the Mulligan repertoire, though the read of Cole Porter's "Get Out of Town," would be a near constant in his live sets for the rest of his life. Other notable tracks include the beautiful "Lonely Town" and the Alan Jay Lerner-Kurt Weill composition "Here I'll Stay," that features a fine solo by Flanagan. Jeru is certainly not one of Mulligan's classic recordings but it's a fine one, and this new remastered version by Legacy is a real improvement over the previous CD issue.