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Recorded in 1959, Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges is heralded as one of the best of Mulligan’s recorded pairings with fellow instrumentalists. On this date, the two saxophonists are joined by a solid rhythm section of Claude Williamson (piano), Buddy Clark (bass) and Mel Lewis (drums), splitting the repertoire across three originals each from Mulligan and Hodges. The two complement the other throughout except for Mulligan’s “What’s the Rush,” where the baritonist sits out altogether in favour of Hodges’ alto taking the spotlight. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging. — (via Label)

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In the late 50's Gerry Mulligan recorded sessions with three of the most important saxophonists of a slightly older generation; Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and Johnny Hodges. Hodges' work with Duke Ellington was a formative influence on the young Mulligan when he took the alto chair with Claude Thornhill's band, and remained when he made the switch to baritone.

By this time Mulligan's place in jazz history was assured, mainly due to his work with Chet Baker in the famous pianoless quartet, which became a cornerstone of the West Coast sound. Meanwhile Hodges (twenty years Mulligan's senior) was still making vitally important contributions to the Ellington Orchestra. According to Nat Hentoff's sleevenote a fair amount of pre-planning went in to this session, and it's certainly not the usual run through a set of blues and standards that you usually find on such one-off meetings. Having said that though, there's a casual, informal vibe to the proceedings too.

Though the sound of the band is pretty typical of the West Coast style, Mulligan avoids the kind of intricate counterpoint that characterised his recordings without piano or meetings with contemporaries like Stan Getz or Paul Desmond. He's content to keep out of Hodges' way and even sits out on "What's The Rush", the album's only ballad. Here 'The Rabbit' demonstrates his mix of poise and bluesy emoting that makes him one of the most instantly recognisable alto players of the 20th century.

Meanwhile Mulligan wears his influences proudly, so much so that at times you could be listening to Hodges or Lester Young pitched down an octave or so. Maybe that's just a consequence of hearing him in close proximity to one of his heroes, but the two men's styles do seem like different sides of the same coin. As the title suggests, this is a meeting rather than a cutting contest, and it's all the better for it. Lovely. — (via BBC)

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Label: Verve Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, Gatefold, 180g
Reissued: 2025 / Originally Released: 1960
Genre: Jazz
Style: Post Bop

File under: Audiophile Jazz
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