AMG Review of Watching & Waiting

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide

This CD is a straight reissue of the Gerry Mulligan LP La Menace, the soundtrack to the film of the same name. He's joined by nine other musicians (though not all at the same time), including keyboardists Dave Grusin, Pete Levin, Derek Smith, Edward Walsh, and Tom Fay; drummers Bobby Rosengarden and Michael DiPasqua; and bassists Jack Six and Jay Leonhart. Mulligan also overdubs soprano sax, clarinet, and keyboards into the mix, which of course prominently features the leader on baritone sax. The music has a more contemporary feeling than his typical recordings because of the sometimes heavy use of synthesizers, and while the music is enjoyable, none of the compositions are particularly memorable. At times Mulligan's baritone sax sounds as if it has gone through some added processing. Overall this 1982 recording is of borderline interest to Mulligan fans.