Sax on the Web

Sax on the Web Forum Archive / Baritone Saxophone / Mulligan's setup?

crawford
User ID: 0101764 Dec 17th 12:08 PM
Can anybody tell me what horn/mthpc Gerry used? Thanks.

Bari. Student
User ID: 0617234 Dec 17th 5:57 PM
He used conn chu with gale hollywood.

Accodring too Theo Waynes site : Gerry Mulligan played one of these on baritone. These had a very thin bite section just like the Model A Gregories, and were produced just after World War II, in the 1940s, in Hollywood California. These mouthpieces were named after Gregories daughter whos name was Gale, who had taken a great interest in her fathers company at that time. The Gale mouthpieces do not have chamber sizes, they all seem to be equivalent to the Gregory 18 (Medium) chamber.

Paul T.
User ID: 0986624 Dec 18th 11:08 PM
His favorite horn was Conn Chu Berry from 20ties. This horn youn can see in the cover pictures of his recordings. I have read that this horn has been stolen later, and he used sometimes also Selmer bari. He preferred horns to kow Bb not to A

OnyxSax
User ID: 9683713 Dec 18th 11:13 PM
I think Mulligan actually had two Conn Chu Berries (is that proper plural for Chu Berry?), one was around 189,xxx, the other was 218,xxx if my memory serves me correctly.

BrianA
User ID: 1564944 Dec 19th 1:03 AM
OnyxSax,
your memory seems pretty good, one of the horns was gold plated and you can read all about his mouthpieces and horns in his last interview before he passed away, it is in an old Saxophone Journal edition. He really went into detail about his equipment.

JimH
User ID: 9238183 Dec 19th 1:29 PM
I think that one of Gerrys horns is in the Smithsonian.

Tom F
User ID: 8980403 Feb 2nd 4:12 PM
I believe that the Bay model N mouthpiece is the modern equivalent of Mulligan's piece, albeit a bit pricey ($309 @ WW&BW). If you wanted to go so far as to copy the horn, the Keilwerth SX90 is supposedly based upon the bore design of a Chu with modern keywork.

JoeHa
User ID: 9308123 Feb 6th 10:20 AM
I read somewhere that his mouthpiece broke (from wear, I think) and he didn't think it could be replaced. I don't know what kind it was, or what he replaced it with; but he was ready to quit because he didn't think he could get the sound with any other. Not sure how true this story is.

T.S.
User ID: 8882983 Mar 17th 5:26 PM
I'm not sure, but I think Gerry was playing a Bay piece towards the end. Before he was playing the Chu's, he played several different 12M's.

paulwl
User ID: 1480824 Mar 17th 7:48 PM
He had his favorite Gale fixed, and replaced it with itself.

There's a picture from Miles' _Birth of the Cool_ session that shows Gerry playing a metal Runyon on a 12M. In 1949!

George Briscoe
User ID: 1076954 Mar 23rd 4:47 AM
My friend, Dr. Charles Bay, bought the molds for the Gale mouthpieces at one time (Charlie's been making mouthpieces for over 40 years now) and he made a couple of his own mouthpieces for Mulligan. When Gerry's "Gale" wore through and broke, he called Charlie and asked him to make him another. The cost of re-tooling was prohibitive and Dr. Bay convinced Gerry to search through his stuff and find the couple of mouthpieces that Charlie had given him six (?) years before. Mulligan finally did and he called Dr. Bay and apologized for not trying them earlier. He got the same tone and tambre that he always had, but with much more volume! He was finally able to cut loose!!! The only recording that I am aware of with this set-up is on a few cuts of a CD with Dr. Billy Taylor, just before Gerry Mulligan's passing. All I can say is that I wish he had had this tone his entire career, because I would have listened to him more! Contact Dr. Charles Bay at
baywoodwind.com
Tell him that George Briscoe sent ya!!! (I play his metal mouthpieces on tenor and soprano and his ligatures on ALL my saxes and clarinets.) It makes my soprano sound like a tenor, but up an octave! GREAT stuff!)

crawford User ID: 0101764	Dec 17th 12:08 PM Can anybody tell me what horn/mthpc Gerry used? Thanks.
Bari. Student User ID: 0617234	Dec 17th 5:57 PM He used conn chu with gale hollywood. Accodring too Theo Waynes site : Gerry Mulligan played one of these on baritone. These had a very thin bite section just like the Model A Gregories, and were produced just after World War II, in the 1940s, in Hollywood California. These mouthpieces were named after Gregories daughter whos name was Gale, who had taken a great interest in her fathers company at that time. The Gale mouthpieces do not have chamber sizes, they all seem to be equivalent to the Gregory 18 (Medium) chamber.
Paul T. User ID: 0986624	Dec 18th 11:08 PM His favorite horn was Conn Chu Berry from 20ties. This horn youn can see in the cover pictures of his recordings. I have read that this horn has been stolen later, and he used sometimes also Selmer bari. He preferred horns to kow Bb not to A
OnyxSax User ID: 9683713	Dec 18th 11:13 PM I think Mulligan actually had two Conn Chu Berries (is that proper plural for Chu Berry?), one was around 189,xxx, the other was 218,xxx if my memory serves me correctly.
BrianA User ID: 1564944	Dec 19th 1:03 AM OnyxSax, your memory seems pretty good, one of the horns was gold plated and you can read all about his mouthpieces and horns in his last interview before he passed away, it is in an old Saxophone Journal edition. He really went into detail about his equipment.
JimH User ID: 9238183	Dec 19th 1:29 PM I think that one of Gerrys horns is in the Smithsonian.
Tom F User ID: 8980403	Feb 2nd 4:12 PM I believe that the Bay model N mouthpiece is the modern equivalent of Mulligan's piece, albeit a bit pricey ($309 @ WW&BW). If you wanted to go so far as to copy the horn, the Keilwerth SX90 is supposedly based upon the bore design of a Chu with modern keywork.
JoeHa User ID: 9308123	Feb 6th 10:20 AM I read somewhere that his mouthpiece broke (from wear, I think) and he didn't think it could be replaced. I don't know what kind it was, or what he replaced it with; but he was ready to quit because he didn't think he could get the sound with any other. Not sure how true this story is.
T.S. User ID: 8882983	Mar 17th 5:26 PM I'm not sure, but I think Gerry was playing a Bay piece towards the end. Before he was playing the Chu's, he played several different 12M's.
paulwl User ID: 1480824	Mar 17th 7:48 PM He had his favorite Gale fixed, and replaced it with itself. There's a picture from Miles' _Birth of the Cool_ session that shows Gerry playing a metal Runyon on a 12M. In 1949!
George Briscoe User ID: 1076954	Mar 23rd 4:47 AM My friend, Dr. Charles Bay, bought the molds for the Gale mouthpieces at one time (Charlie's been making mouthpieces for over 40 years now) and he made a couple of his own mouthpieces for Mulligan. When Gerry's "Gale" wore through and broke, he called Charlie and asked him to make him another. The cost of re-tooling was prohibitive and Dr. Bay convinced Gerry to search through his stuff and find the couple of mouthpieces that Charlie had given him six (?) years before. Mulligan finally did and he called Dr. Bay and apologized for not trying them earlier. He got the same tone and tambre that he always had, but with much more volume! He was finally able to cut loose!!! The only recording that I am aware of with this set-up is on a few cuts of a CD with Dr. Billy Taylor, just before Gerry Mulligan's passing. All I can say is that I wish he had had this tone his entire career, because I would have listened to him more! Contact Dr. Charles Bay at baywoodwind.com Tell him that George Briscoe sent ya!!! (I play his metal mouthpieces on tenor and soprano and his ligatures on ALL my saxes and clarinets.) It makes my soprano sound like a tenor, but up an octave! GREAT stuff!)