A Ballad

This ballad was written by Gerry Mulligan shortly after he arrived in California in 1952. He originally arranged it for eight horns with rhythm section: alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, 2 trumpets, horn in F, trombone, and tuba. The January 1953 recording was done with just bass and drums for the rhythm section. Sometime later he added a piano part. Included are optional trumpet and trombone parts that may be used in place of the horn part. This small band version is not a difficult arrangement with the exception of the written baritone saxophone solo. The ranges are quite reasonable and make this chart accessible for most bands.