Mulligan was a versatile musician, playing piano, and clarinet, although he was best known for his baritone saxophone playing, but early in his career, his reputation was built as an arranger.
In the late 1940s, Mulligan worked with the Claude Thornhill band as an arranger and baritone sax player. It was there that he met fellow arranger Gil Evans.
Later Mulligan joined with Miles Davis on the ground-breaking album Birth of the Cool. He played baritone sax, wrote Jeru, Venus De Milo, and Rocker, and arranged Godchild and Darn That Dream.
In 1952, Mulligan went to California and formed a combo with Chet Baker. While the group last only a year, it was a musical phenomenon.
Over the years, Mulligan (always anxious to play) toured and played with Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and a variety of others.
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