"Jeru" - Autograph Lyrics and Musical Manuscripts

Gerry Mulligan's autograph lyrics for his song "Jeru," together with a group of handwritten instrumental parts to the song.  The lyrics are written in pen and pencil over three sheets of lined 8.5 x 11 notepaper, with one strike-through in the same pen and one insertion in another hand. The parts included are labeled "Gerry," "Bass," "trpt," "Jeru Two," (16 measures apparently for trumpet, written on the opposite page to the trumpet part), and "Background for solos," each 1 p. in pencil on 9.5 x 12.5 and 8.5 x 11 manuscript paper. Also included is a facsimile of a lead sheet with melody and chords to the song, also apparently in Mulligan's hand. Instrumental parts with some smudges, pencil and pen corrections, and light signs of use; overall fine. Lyrics with toning, otherwise very fine. 

The song "Jeru," first recorded on Miles Davis' CD Birth of the Cool, is generally an instrumental number, and we have been unable to find any recordings using the present text. These clever and self-referential lyrics, with many internal rhymes ("Just for all the lovely people that you see in the road / We'll sing them a song in Jeruvian mode / If I can have a pref'rence, I'll even make ref'rence / to why you write a song like Jeru, just for you...") fit well to the song's upbeat opening lick, although they would require a highly agile singer to match the speed of the horns! The text to the bridge ("Then if you'd be kind enough to / tell me why you / write these ex- / ten- / ded / brid- / ges...") is trickier to match to the music, and the second and third pages of text fall out of sync with the structure of the song (as recorded on Birth of the Cool and Re-Birth of the Cool.) While it appears the lyrics were probably written after the song, we have not established whether they have ever been used in performance.

In September 1948, Miles Davis formed a nine-piece band that featured arrangements by Mulligan, Evans and John Lewis. The band initially consisted of Davis on trumpet, Mulligan on baritone saxophone, trombonist Mike Zwerin, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, Junior Collins on French horn, tubist Bill Barber, pianist John Lewis, bassist Al McKibbon and drummer Max Roach. Over the next couple of years, Davis reformed the nonet on three occasions to record twelve pieces for release as singles. These were eventually compiled on a Capitol Records record, titled Birth of the Cool. Mulligan wrote and arranged three of the tunes recorded, one of which was "Jeru"—Mulligan's nickname. Mulligan later released an album under the same title, and the song was recorded again as the last track on Mulligan's 1992 album Re-Birth of the Cool.

Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also a notable arranger, working with Claude Thornhill, Miles Davis, Stan Kenton, and others. Mulligan's pianoless quartet of the early 1950s with trumpeter Chet Baker is still regarded as one of the more important cool jazz groups. Mulligan was also a skilled pianist and played several other reed instruments. (16099)

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Jazz

Manuscript Music

Autograph Document

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