Mulligan, Gerry & Thelonious Monk
Riverside, 2003, CD
Instrument: Saxophone
Issue: 10.1
Jazz Ruler Type: Bebop
Performance: 4+
Sound: 4
Score: 
O’s Notes: The liner notes bill this as the meeting of the two men (Monk and Mulligan) who birthed bebop and cool jazz. While we think this is a bit of a stretch, we can’t argue the impact of either musician on jazz. Gerry played his sax swinging with West Coast cool jazz in a way that is indelible. Monk accentuated notes like no other on the bop front. His piano playing was and still is tough to emulate but easy to appreciate. Together they made more than cool bop. This session swings with the creativity that each man possessed as leaders on the jazz front. It’s a blend that requires less talk and more listening, so sit down and take it in.
