Gerry Mulligan Quotes

What I came back to is that jazz is a music to be played and not to be intellectualized on.

I'm fascinated with the electronic devices that we can mess around with.

It's true I've always been attracted to the jazz band in an orchestral way, rather than a band way.

Because if you've got the wit, you can make anything into a melody, ultimately.

You can make a saxophone into an electric organ; you can do everything with it

The first reason for starting to do the symphony concerts was to play this new piece of mine.

People talk about innovations and evolutions and that kind of thing; I don't understand about that nonsense. It's like, all instruments are there to use all the time

The Russian composers, especially, tricked the symphony orchestra into the kind of dynamic, rhythmic thing

The other saxophones, except as solo instruments, really don't have much point in the orchestra

Eliminating the piano means that I've always worked closer with the bass than most players.

In a way, I started out to be a baritone player.

This life of being a transient human being has gotten to a point when it's very hard to bear

So I played alto for quite a while until I saved up the money for the baritone

The baritone can serve functions that the alto and tenor cannot, in orchestral voicing

Then, of course, I played alto and tenor, wherever there were jobs.

I've appeared on some other people's albums.

Now, the instrumentation in the jazz band and the jazz dance band has gone through many evolutions. For instance, in the 'twenties the tradition was two or three saxophones

New York is still where I live most of the time.

I've always wanted a C trumpet on top, to have that same kind of facility without shouting.

Only the French, I guess, really use tenor and alto to any great extent in the orchestra

When [Billy] Strayhorn came on the scene, he just blew us away.

Actually, when I was very young, first starting to play, I think I probably listened more to clarinet players than to saxophones.

People are approaching electronic levels in music; although not all of it happens to tickle my fancy

A very talented player and all around excellent musician. I love hearing his records on radio!

You start way down on a low B flat on the tuba and you have a chromatic scale; you can match the colours all the way up, till you get to the top of the trumpet.

Life on the road is murder. It's as though life begins and ends when you have your horn in your mouth.

Miles Davis is one who writes songs when he plays.

I like what I hear other guys doing, but the thing that really attracts me is melodic playing.

When we've finished the current tour I'm going to go back to Italy and see if I can do some more writing.

The recording industry has changed; they're enjoying such incredible success in the pop field

Actually, it is a fact that I've been doing more writing than playing in recent years.

When I began listening to saxophones, I was first attracted to Coleman Hawkins

I would think, of all the saxophones, the baritone would be the most logical instrument if anybody was adding a voice to the symphony orchestra.