Born in New York, Mr. Mulligan spent his childhood and adolescence in several American cities as his family moved wherever his father';s career as an engineer took them. Mr. Mulligan first studied piano at the age of seven and then began studying clarinet. He studied saxophone with Sam Correnti who encouraged him to begin arranging. When the family moved to Philadelphia, sixteen-year old Gerry called on Johnny Warrington, director of the WCAU-CBS radio orchestra, to offer his services.

"When you're young and you have a vision, you have an incredible amount of guts," Gerry explains, realizing that Warrington must have been amused by the high school kid's display of determination. The bandleader offered constructive criticism and began buying Gerry's arrangements. Mr. Mulligan then arranged for Tommy Tucker's band and later returned to WCAU to arrange for Elliott Lawrence.

In the mid-1940's, Mr. Mulligan played tenor sax in a special concert at Philadelphia's Academy of Music that featured some of the new stars of the day: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Sarah Vaughan. Mr. Mulligan was pleased when a complimentary Parker invited him to a post-concert jam session. Thinking he'd been invited to the session just to listen, Gerry's heart skipped a beat when Parker retrieved Mr. Mulligan's tenor from the check room, blew a few notes through it and insisted that Gerry play. There was no refusing. "I was scared to death," Mr. Mulligan remembers, "but Charlie was helpful and encouraging. It never hurts to have someone like him give you a shove when you're young."

At nineteen Mr. Mulligan wrote and played for Gene Krupa's orchestra and then for Claude Thornhill. Also at this time, he was studying with Gil Evans and began associating with artists such as John Lewis, Charles Mingus, Lee Konitz, George Russell, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis (who nicknamed him "Jeru"), Jack "Zoot" Sims and Al Cohn.

Immersed in the incredibly creative scene of New York in the late 1940's, Mr. Mulligan concentrated on his writing and arranging. His compositions and arrangements from this period were an invaluable contribution to the landmark recording Birth of the Cool. Considered one of the seminal albums of modern jazz, Birth of the Cool was elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1982. The recording marked the beginning of a new direction in jazz: departing from straight Bebop. Birth of the Cool emphasized improvisation in an orchestral setting. The charts were written for a nine-piece group, which included such instruments as French horn and tuba. Although recorded in New York, this new sound became synonymous with the cool, laid-back lifestyle of the West and became known as "West Coast Jazz."

Mr. Mulligan was delighted to be part of the extraordinary creativity in New York, but even the best jazz musicians were barely able to make a living. In 1951, he headed west in search of better opportunities, hitchhiking and playing his way across the United States.

In California in 1951, Mr. Mulligan formed the first pianoless quartet, an innovation that would influence musicians for decades to come. The quartet, which featured Chet Baker on trumpet and Chico Hamilton on drums, became a focal point of the "West Coast Jazz" movement, even though Mr. Mulligan has always maintained headquarters on the East Coast. Later groups featured Bob Brookmeyer, Zoot Sims, Art Farmer and Red Mitchell.

With his quartet, Mr. Mulligan often toured with Duke Ellington, whom he names as his favorite composer, and with whom he shared a passion for trains and railroads. Ellington composed "Bara Dubla Prima" for Mr. Mulligan and his good friend, baritone saxophonist Harry Carney.

Mr. Mulligan has continued to lead small, medium-sized and large bands, all of which evolved from the pianoless quartet idea. "I'll always think as an arranger," Mr. Mulligan explains, "each band represents another writing approach." In 1960 Mr. Mulligan formed the first Concert Jazz Band. The band appeared at the Village Vanguard in New York, and featured the pianoless rhythm section, five reeds (including Gerry) and six brass. Gerry toured North America and Europe with the band and recorded five albums for Norman Granz's Verve Records. The Concert Jazz Band also toured the U.S. with a package that included the Woody Herman Orchestra and Pete Fountain.

In 1968, Mr. Mulligan toured frequently with Dave Brubeck and appeared as a soloist on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's recording of Brubeck's oratorio, The Light in the Wilderness.

Mr. Mulligan's fascination with trains inspired his album The Age of Steam, especially the composition "K-4 Pacific." The Age of Steam, recorded for A&M Records in 1972, reversed the pianoless quartet rhythm section idea by using a five-piece rhythm section comprised of piano, guitar, bass, drums and percussion.

In 1978, Mr. Mulligan re-formed his big band for an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in New York; the following two years he co-produced "The Great Songs" show for the festival with Mel Torme. Mel and Gerry also collaborated on a song entitled "The Real Thing."

The 1980 album Little Big Horn found Mr. Mulligan in a different musical environment, supported by performer, composer and arranger Dave Grusin. "There's a fraternity among arrangers," says Mr. Mulligan, describing his friendship with Mr. Grusin. "We all suffer similar pangs of anxiety over our work-what Quincy Jones calls the 'rolling around under the piano syndrome.'" The six Mulligan compositions on the album include pieces for big band, small group and vocal. Though the pieces are written for different musical ensembles, they all share Mr. Mulligan's distinctive melodic approach to arrangement and saxophone improvisation. Little Big Horn was released in Italy in conjunction with the appearance of the Gerry Mulligan Quartet at the Manzoni Theatre in Milan. The concert was televised nationally, estimated to have been viewed by more than six million people.

In addition to his activities in jazz, Mr. Mulligan is also building the repertory of symphonic music for baritone sax. In 1984, he commissioned eminent Canadian composer Harry Freedman to write The Sax Chronicles, in which Freedman arranged some of Mr. Mulligan's melodies in the styles of Bach, Brahms, Mozart, etc. Freedman had previously collaborated with Mr. Mulligan in 1977 when he wrote a saxophone concerto entitled "Celebration," commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Company in honor of Mr. Mulligan's fiftieth birthday. "Celebration" has since been performed by the C.B.C. Symphony and other symphony orchestras.

Mr. Mulligan also commissioned a saxophone concerto from Cincinnati composer Frank Proto. This work was premiered by the Cincinnati Symphony in 1973.

In April of 1984, Mr. Mulligan and pianist Dave Grusin appeared as soloists with the New American Orchestra in Los Angeles in the world premiere of Patrick Williams' "Spring Wings," written in celebration of the orchestra's fifth anniversary.

Mr. Mulligan has enjoyed a close association with Maestro Zubin Mehta and it was Maestro Mehta who encouraged and inspired Gerry to write for the symphony orchestra. In 1982, Gerry was invited by Maestro Mehta to play solo soprano saxophone in Ravel's "Bolero" with the New York Philharmonic in the closing concert of its season.

In 1984, Mr. Mulligan completed his first composition for symphony orchestra and solo saxophone, entitled "Entente for Baritone Saxophone and Orchestra." The work, dedicated to Maestro and Mrs. Mehta, received its premiere in June of the same year with the Filarmonia Veneta in Italy, led by Rico Saccani. In October of 1984, Mr. Mulligan opened his European tour at the Royal Festival Hall in London, where he performed "Entente" and Freedman's "The Sax Chronicles" with the London Symphony Orchestra, led by Michel Sasson.

In 1987, the Gerry Mulligan Quartet performed in Tel Aviv with the Israel Philharmonic, led by Maestro Mehta. In a surprise encore, violinist Itzhak Perlman joined Mr. Mulligan and his quartet to improvise on "Georgia on My Mind."

The first recording of one of Mr. Mulligan's appearances with a symphony orchestra occurred in 1987. Entitled Symphonic Dreams, the digitally mastered recording included music written by Mr. Mulligan and Harry Freedman performed by the Houston Symphony with Erich Kunzel conducting.

Unequivocally, in December of 1989, the highlight of Mr. Mulligan's work with symphonic orchestra occurred when the Gerry Mulligan Quartet appeared with the New York Philharmonic, led by Maestro Mehta, in a highly successful six concert series at Lincoln Center. The program included "Entente," Mr. Mulligan's composition in which he appeared as the featured guest soloist with the orchestra and "K-4 Pacific," his composition featuring the quartet with the orchestra.

Mr. Mulligan's other engagements with symphony orchestras have included:

The Stockholm Philharmonic, The American Composer's Orchestra and The Philadelphia

Orchestra, all conducted by Dennis Russell Davies

The Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Erich Kunzel

The Reading (Pennsylvania) Symphony conducted by Henry Gass

The Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg conducted by Martin Sieghart

The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Fabio Mechetti

The Australian Pops Orchestra conducted by Douglas Gamley

The Rochester Philharmonic conducted by John Dankworth

In March of 1988, Mr. Mulligan was invited to Italy by the Chancellor of the University of Bologna to take part in their 900th anniversary celebrations with a concert in the ancient city square. In June of the same year, Gerry was invited to be "Composer in Residence" at the Glasgow International Jazz Festival and was commissioned to write a work, which he entitled "The Flying Scotsman."

In 1989, Mr. Mulligan recorded Lonesome Boulevard for A&M Records. The recording featured all new compositions performed by Gerry Mulligan and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet.

In 1990, Mr. Mulligan released Octet for Sea Cliff, a work for chamber orchestra. The work was commissioned by the Sea Cliff Chamber Players and received its world premiere at a concert in 1988.

In 1991, Mr. Zarin Mehta, Executive Director of the Ravinia Festival (the summer home of the Chicago Symphony), invited Mr. Mulligan to be the artistic director for the launching of the new series of jazz concerts produced as part of Ravinia's summer festival. Mr. Mulligan served as the artistic director in 1991 and 1992 and brought the top names in jazz to the Chicago-area festival.

In 1992, Mr. Mulligan revisited the "cool school" that began with the Birth of the Cool recording and assembled the Gerry Mulligan Tentet. The project, entitled "Re-birth of the Cool," began with a recording for the GRP label with Mr. Mulligan, Phil Woods and Wallace Roney in Miles Davis' trumpet chair.

The all-star touring band, featuring Art Farmer on flugelhorn/trumpet and Lee Konitz on alto sax, then embarked on a highly successful concert tour, premiering at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago. They played to a standing-room-only audience in Los Angeles and then made their final U.S. appearance at Carnegie Hall in New York as part of the JVC Jazz Festival. After their U.S. performances, "Re-birth of the Cool" headlined the European jazz festivals and concluded their tour with a performance in Istanbul, Turkey.

Later that same year, Mr. Mulligan appeared with other world class saxophonists in the ceremonies celebrating the inauguration of President Bill Clinton in 1992.

1993 began with a tour of Japan by Gerry Mulligan and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. In September, Mr. Mulligan reassembled the Gerry Mulligan Tentet: "Re-birth of the Cool" for appearances in Brazil. Also in 1993, as in every year, Mr. Mulligan made several tours of Europe and appearances at Carnegie Hall.

Paraiso, an album released in 1993, is a collaboration with Brazilian vocalist Jane Duboc. The album features six new Mulligan tunes with lyrics by Ms. Duboc and "Theme for Jobim," used in "The Player," a Robert Altman film.

In 1994, Mr. Mulligan continues his regular schedule of several European tours and numerous appearances within the United States and throughout the world.

On television, he has been the guest of Dick Cavett, Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Dinah Shore, Bill Boggs and Irv Kupcinet. A CBS-TV profile, capturing Mr. Mulligan both on tour with the Concert Jazz Band and at his Connecticut home, was broadcast on "Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt." Other television appearances include a cable special with the Quartet for "Jazz America," an appearance for the same producers with Dizzy Gillespie's "Dream Band," a program with Mel Torme for CBS and a guest appearance on a Buddy Rich show. Mr. Mulligan also appeared as a guest on a Barry Manilow special for CBS and was a part of the internationally televised events of the Bicentennial closing ceremonies of "Liberty Weekend" in New York.

At the invitation of the King and Queen of Sweden, he was part of the Bob Hope TV Benefit for the Children International Summer Villages in Stockholm.

Mr. Mulligan has acted and performed on screen in such important films as I Want to Live!, Bells are Ringing, The Rat Race and The Subterraneans. He has been featured on musical soundtracks by such outstanding film composers as Andre Previn, Quincy Jones, Elmer Bernstein and Johnny Mandel.

Mr. Mulligan wrote the score for the Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Elaine May film version of the Broadway comedy Luv and the French adventure film La Menace, starring Yves Montand.

Mr. Mulligan is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. In 1982, the State of Connecticut, where Mr. Mulligan has lived for the last three decades, presented him with the "Connecticut Arts Award."

Mr. Mulligan won a Grammy Award in 1982 in the category of "Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Big Band" for his DRG album Walk on Water. He has received other Grammy nominations for his album The Age of Steam, his composition "For an Unfinished Woman" and for "Best Instrumental Performance: Group" for the album Soft Lights and Sweet Music. And of course, Birth of the Cool is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. In November of 1984, Mr. Mulligan was awarded the prestigious Viotti Prize at a special presentation ceremony in Vercelli, Italy. Previous recipients have included Igor Stravinsky, Artur Rubenstein, A. Benedetto Michelangeli and Carla Fracci. This was the first time that the prize was awarded to a musician from the world of jazz.

In October of 1988, Mr. Mulligan was saluted at Yale University by being named a "Duke Ellington Fellow" and receiving the Duke Ellington medal.

In May of 1989, the town of Trieste, Italy honored Mr. Mulligan and presented him with the key to the city.

In 1990, Gerry returned to Philadelphia, the city where he spent his teenage years and sold his first arrangements, to be inducted into the Philadelphia Music Foundations Hall of Fame. Other inductees included violinist Efrem Zimbalist Sr., songwriter Linda Creed and singer Patti LaBelle.

In 1991, Mr. Mulligan was again recognized by his peers and was inducted into "The American Jazz Hall of Fame." He was also inducted into the Lionel Hampton School of Music's Jazz Hall of Fame in February of 1992 and was awarded the Sarasota Jazz Club's "Satchmo Award" in 1993.

Mr. Mulligan was the honored guest composer at the 1992-93 Mertens Contemporary American Composer's Festival at the University of Bridgeport. The festival honors distinguished American composers and previous winners have included Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Mulligan was only the second jazz composer honored by the festival since it began over twenty years ago. Dave Brubeck was commended in 1979-80.

In January of 1994, Mr. Mulligan was elected into the Down Beat Hall of Fame. Mr. Mulligan has been a fixture on the Down Beat polls for the past four decades.

In early 1994, Mr. Mulligan focused his attention on activities designed to further jazz education. In March, he began teaching a credit course in jazz history at the University of Bridgeport and appeared in a videotape titled An Afternoon with Gerry Mulligan: A Jazz Improvisation Workshop. The video, produced by the Hal Leonard Corporation, was released in conjunction with The Gerry Mulligan Book, a publication of Mr. Mulligan's selected compositions. Both the video and published music are designed for home/educational use.

- Tim Price