Gerry Mulligan

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

“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.”

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

“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.”

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

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

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

“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.”