Gerry Mulligan was the quintessential West Coast cool-jazz cat, regardless of his birth in Queens. He helped to spearhead the movement in the late ‘40s and early '50s, taking the baritone sax to places it had never been before with his powerful, full-bodied tone. Before he had even put out his first solo album, Mulligan made history on Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions, penning smooth, classic cuts like "Jeru" himself. But he made his biggest mark as a bandleader, whether he was trading poised, potent licks with Chet Baker on "Simbah," or wailing in tribute to L.A. on the swinging, suave “Westwood Walk.”