GERRY MULLIGAN & JOHNNY HODGES: GERRY MULLIGAN MEETS JOHNNY HODGES (ACOUSTIC SOUNDS SERIES)

Performer: Johnny Hodges, alto sax; Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax; Claude Williamson, piano; Buddy Clark, double bass; Mel Lewis, drums
Composer: Gerry Mulligan & Johnny Hodges
Number of discs: 1
Barcode: 0602478282171
Label: Analogue Productions
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz
Year: 2025

A stunning new title in the Verve / Universal Music Enterprises reissue series curated by Acoustic Sounds

At least one new release each month featuring the most iconic jazz albums

Remastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog masters

180-gram LP pressed at Quality Record Pressings

Vintage-style tip-on gatefold cover produced by Stoughton Printing

Series overseen by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds

Acoustic Sounds enriches its series dedicated to the legendary Verve albums with the reissue of Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges, a record that brought together two of the greatest saxophonists in jazz history, originally released in 1959.

Recorded on November 17, 1959, Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges has been widely regarded as one of the finest albums Mulligan made in collaboration with another major soloist. On this occasion, the two extraordinary saxophonists were supported by a top-tier rhythm section: pianist Claude Williamson, bassist Buddy Clark, and drummer Mel Lewis.

The program includes some of the signature pieces of both Mulligan and Hodges, with three compositions from each. The two soloists duet on five of the six tracks, except for Mulligan’s “What’s the Rush,” where the brilliant baritone saxophonist steps aside entirely to feature Hodges and his alto sax.

Gerry Mulligan Meets Johnny Hodges is the second collaborative album by Hodges to be reissued in the Verve reissue series, following Acoustic Sounds’ recent release of Side By Side, one of two albums he recorded in 1959 with the legendary Duke Ellington.

This Acoustic Sounds series, launched in 2020, aims to reissue some of the most famous albums from Verve / Universal Music’s extensive archive, featuring legendary jazz artists such as Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others.

Johnny Hodges, alto sax; Gerry Mulligan, baritone sax; Claude Williamson, piano; Buddy Clark, double bass; Mel Lewis, drums

Side A

Bunny
What’s The Rush
Back Beat

Side B

What It’s All About
18 Carrots For Rabbit
Shady Side