Gerry Mulligan - Idol Gossip

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GERRY MULLIGAN
Idol Gossip
1976

MB
256+ VBR LAME mp3
Vinyl rip & scans from Chiaroscuro CR-155


Mulligan didn't do many studio albums in the 70s and I only have two of them. The other is Age of Steam but since it's been posted elsewhere already, I thought I'd put up Idol Gossip. If you're looking for the funk/fusion, stick with the Steam but if it's Mulligan's supreme compositional skills and an incredibly tight combo making a complex interchange seem like a simple chat that you're after, then you've come to the right place.

There's not much that hasn't been said or written about Mulligan and his bio info is easy to find in all the regular places if you can't make it to the Library of Congress for the definitive version. You might enjoy reading this interview he did with down beat magazine mere months before going into the studio for Idol Gossip since it provides a deeper insight into where he was at and what he was trying to accomplish at that point in his career.

AMG Review by Scott Yanow
This somewhat forgotten studio session finds Gerry Mulligan, 25 years after he first acheived fame with his quartet, playing six of his fairly recent compositions along with a version of "Waltzing Mathilda." With vibraphonist Dave Samuels and a four-piece rhythm section accompanying him, Mulligan performs such songs as "Walk on the Water," "Idol Gossip" and "Strayhorn 2;" the latter a reworking of his "Song for Strayhorn." Jeru proves to still be in prime form and plays a bit of soprano sax on this date along with his distinctive baritone.


Gerry Mulligan - Baritone & Soprano Sax
Tom Fay - Piano
Dave Samuels - Vibes
Mike Santiago - Guitar
George Duvivier - Bass
Bobby Rosengarden - Drums


1 Idol Gossip
2 Strayhorn 2
3 Walk On Water
4 Waltzing Mathilda
5 Out Back of the Barn
6 North Atlantic Run
7 Taurus Moon

CD Tracks not on vinyl:
Just Want to Sing and Dance Like Fred Astaire
Jazzspeak


Only after finishing up the post did I realise it's actually a nice little segue into tomorrow's offering. As a hint for those following along, Bobby Rosengarden took drum lessons from the same teacher as Louie Bellson when they both were kids and one of Mike Santiago's few credits as guitarist is on Chico Hamilton's Catwalk.

If you like this LP and want to hear the extra tracks, the 2002 CD reissue is still available through Chiarascuro. Otherwise you can hear it through Soundological's grapevine HERE or HERE.