Gerry Mulligan Transcription

Posted by Andrew D Meyer on April 9, 2020 in Saxophone, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Here’s a transcription of a quick, one chorus solo from Gerry Mulligan on his tune “Line for Lyons.” The “Lyons” that the title refers to is Jimmy Lyons, who was the founder of the Monterey Jazz Festival. This recording comes from the album “Gerry Mulligan-Paul Desmond Quartet” (Verve), which was one of the many records Mulligan made without piano. Both Mulligan and Desmond play contrapuntal lines against melodies and solos throughout the album. Interestingly, this recording is not in the standard key of G, but in B-flat, a third higher. Mulligan recorded the tune many times, usually in the key of G. I suspect that they chose to record in this key as both Mulligan and Desmond favored the higher range of their instruments. It’s a short, one chorus solo that shows Mulligan’s economy of note choice and melodic fluency.

(Click the link below to see the transcription)

Line for Lyons — Mulligan Solo – Baritone Saxophone – 2020-04-08 1318