national jazz ensemblefeaturing

directed by

chuck israels

Gerry Mulligan

Gerry Mulligan Meets the National Jazz EnsembleBy David Berger

In the fall of 1974 I was playing trumpet with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which was led by his son Mercer at that time. Chuck Israels received some funding to start a big band and was looking for an arranger and someone to help him organize the National Jazz Ensemble, which he envisioned as the jazz equivalent of the NY Philharmonic. We would play some of our own compositions, but the focus would be on performing classic jazz compositions. I asked him, “Why don’t we just play our music?” His answer was:

1. Listeners would love to hear the music that was only available on records. 2. Wouldn’t it be fun to play all that music that we grew up listening to and still revere? I agreed on both issues, whereupon he

gave me an article by Martin Williams that called for the creation of Repertoire Jazz Orchestras. We discussed the pros and cons of presenting a different band for each concert selected to perform a narrow repertoire versus a steady band that would perform the entire historical span of jazz in each concert. We agreed on the latter and set about hiring musicians who had this kind of flexibility: Jimmy Maxwell, Jimmy Knepper, Rod Levitt, Sal Nistico, Bill Goodwin, Tom Harrell, Greg Herbert, et al. Early in 1975 I left the Ellington band and joined the NJE trumpet section along side Maxwell, Tom and Danny Hayes.

When Chuck and I discussed the repertoire for us to perform, we would play our favorite recordings for each other, but in those days the arrangements were not available in print. Chuck asked me if I could transcribe them. I had little experience in this area, but I said that I would see what I could do. Since we would need hundreds of transcriptions, I brought in Alan Campbell to work with me, and we started grinding them at a dizzying rate.

Aside from touring, the NJE performed 4 concerts a year in New York at the New School in its wonderful 12th Street auditorium, which held 600 people and had near-perfect acoustics. Over the next 4 or 5 years we performed over a dozen completely different concerts there, each featuring a renowned and respected guest soloist including Jim Hall, Roy Eldridge, Phil Woods, Budd Johnson, Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Art Farmer and Randy and Mike Brecker. Part of my job was to write new arrangements for the guest soloists. Chuck would occasionally contribute an

arrangement, and ultimately Kenny Berger jumped in and bailed me out when I had too much on my plate, which was usually the case. This band ate through new charts at a feverish pace that was difficult to keep up with.

Although we usually sold out on the road and had good crowds at the New School, the NJE never sold out in New York until our third season when Gerry Mulligan was our guest. There were lines around the block. I implored Chuck to add a second show that night, but it was too late. It killed me to turn away all those people. Never the less there was the thrill in the room that only a packed house can generate.

In the first half of the concert the band performed Ellington: Braggin’ In Brass, Creole Love Call, Old Man Blues; Basie: Jive At Five; Israel : Bird Tapestry (based on Charlie Parker tunes); Monk: Evidence; JJ’s arrangement of Thad’s Swing Spring; Kenny Berger’s arrangement of Fats Waller’s Jitterbug Waltz; my chart based on Don Byas’ solo on Harvard Blues; and Rod Levitt’s Mr. Barrelhouse.

The second half started with Chuck’s 1-chorus arrangement of Bird’s Moose The Mooche; after which Chuck introduced Gerry and the audience and band were captured by the warmth of Gerry’s sound, the creativity of the arrangements and the wit and charm of

Gerry Mulligan in concert with Astor Piazzolla. Midem, France, 1976. Photograph by Franca Rota Mulligan

Gerry’s verbal introductions. Gerry had made himself scarce over the previous decade and everyone in attendance understood the importance of the occasion and the sheer joy emanating from each of us on stage and coming back to us from our delighted listeners. Fortunately Chuck recorded every concert we played in the NJE’s 6 years of existence. Most of the tapes have gotten lost over the years, but fortunately this glorious February night is here for us to enjoy over and over for years to come.

It’s been nearly 40 years since this recording was made. Chuck and I are still buddies and speak nearly every day. We have moved on to other musical pursuits—he has his octet in Portland OR, I have my big band in NY plus writing for singers, bands and shows—but we frequently acknowledge the impact that the NJE had on us and all the cats in the band and I dare say those that heard us as well. It’s no coincidence that 10 years after this concert Wynton Marsalis and I formed the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra using the NJE as our prototype. The idea of jazz musicians playing other musicians’ arrangements and compositions seems completely normal in 2015, but in 1974 this was a new and revolutionary idea.

David Berger, December 13, 2015

Chuck Israels taken at Rogier Dieges Double Bass Studio in Roterdam, The Netherlands circa 2013. Photograph by Lennaert Ruinen.

Portrait of Gerry MulliganBy Elena Carminati

Dot Time Records would like to recognize Elena Carminati for her remarkable photojournalism. It can truly be said of her work, “every picture tells a story.”

For many years Elena Carminati has been among the most noted jazz photographers in Italy. Her photograph of Gerry Mulligan used for the cover of this album also appears on the home page of the United States Library of Congress website dedicated to American music. Numerous musicians have requested to use her work, from Max Roach and Sonny Rollins to Ornette Coleman for the liner notes of their albums. Her photos have been published throughout the world in newspapers, magazines, encyclopedias, records and books. Among the latter, “Gente del Jazz” (People of Jazz) is entirely dedicated to her work. Her photojournalism contributions to international jazz festivals “Umbria Jazz” and “Siena Jazz” have also been instrumental in raising the profile of those prestigious festivals. Ms. Carminati’s photographs also appear in Amiri Baraka’s book entitled “ Il Popolo del Blues “ (People of Blues). She has traveled extensively in Africa and visits New York and New Orleans regularly.

www.elenacarminati.com

national jazz ensemble

directed by

chuck israels

Gerry Mulligan

The Dot Time Records Legends series features previously unreleased historical recordings from many of the greatest legends of the jazz genre. We at Dot Time Records believe that these recordings form an important part of the history of jazz and it is our goal to make these recordings available to jazz lovers worldwide. All of the Legends Series releases have been re-mastered with the goal of presenting these recordings in a modern format while striving to keep the original atmosphere of the recordings intact.

BACK AT THE BARN (7:16)

WALKIN’ SHOES (6:50)

ISRAEL (5:53)

EVIDENCE (7:31)

BIRD TAPESTRY (10:22)

CREOLE LOVE CALL (2:33)

THRUWAY (3:18)

IDOL GOSSIP (4:31)

BALLADE (4:36)

(Comp, Mulligan) Soloists: Mulligan, Brown, Dobbins, Gilmore, Goodwin

(Comp, Mulligan, arr. Brookmeyer) Soloists: Mulligan, M. Lawrence, Knepper

(Comp, Carisi) Soloist: Mulligan

(Comp, Monk, arr. Israels) Soloists: Anderson, M. Lawrence, Knepper

(Comp, Israels, arranged Israels) Soloists: M. Lawrence, Herbert, K. Berger, A. Lawrence

(Comp, Ellington, arr. D. Berger) Soloists: Hanson, Maxwell

(Comp, Mulligan) Soloists: Reed, Mulligan

(Comp, Mullligan, arr. K. Berger) Soloists: Mulligan, Goodwin

(Comp, Mulligan, arr. Brookmeyer) Soloist: Mulligan

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Recorded on February 19, 1977.Recorded live at the “New School”, New York City.

Recording Engineer, Harry Munz.Remastered by Lou Gimenez at The Music Lab, Elmont NY.

Produced by Jerry RocheArt-work and Design by Andrew Read

Cover Photo by Elena CarminatiAdditional Photography by Lennaert Ruinen

Liner Notes by David Berger

A percentage of the proceeds from this album will go to support the Gerry Mulligan Scholarship foundation.

Further details about the foundation can be found at:www.gerrymulligan.com/the-foundation/

Conductor and Music Director: Chuck IsraelsGuest Soloist: Gerry MulliganReeds: Arnie Lawrence, Lawrence Feldman, Greg Herbert, Dennis Anderson, Kenny BergerTrumpets: Jimmy Maxwell, Waymon Reed, Mike Lawrence, David BergerTrombones: Jimmy Knepper, Rod Levitt, Sam BurtisRhythm Section: Steve Brown, Bill Dobbins, Steve Gilmore, Bill GoodwinVocal: Margot Hanson

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