Gerry Mulligan Sextet - The San Diego Concert 1954 & Complete Studio Sessions 1955-56 (2011)

This 3-CD set features the complete recordings by one of the most exciting ensembles Gerry Mulligan ever led; in fact, he said it was his favorite. It is the swinging presentation of the music throughout, the inventive soloists within a functional, fresh and never pretentious written context that makes listening to the sextet a distinct pleasure. The writingboth originals and standardsis marked primarily by the constant use of flowing complementary lines in the ensemble and often behind soloists as well. There exists a rocking ease, and yet an almost airy feeling to this beautifully collective interplay.