Yeah, Mulligan had so much to do with Miles Davis's solo career. After leaving Charlie Parker's band and playing with a wide variety of small combos in the 52nd Street clubs of NYC, Davis involved himself with Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan, the latter of whom was a composer and was working with a nine piece band to mix fluidly concierto with jazz. The Birth of the Cool band became Miles Davis's Nonet, and because Davis had the contract with Capitol, he got to put his name on the "Birth of the Cool" album. In truth, it was a collaboration with Mulligan, Lee Konitz and Gil Evans, all of whom worked to write and arrange most of the numbers recorded there.
Miles continued his relationship with Gil Evans, and Mulligan moved to the West Cost and worked with the likes of Chet Baker and Art Farmer, etc., but both Mulligan and Davis were known as musicians who utilized the eraser concept more than any others. They erased or wiped away all of the excess and created a post-bop, sleek, modernist sound that revolutionized jazz. Miles gets the lion's share of the credit, and he deserves it... his music is incredible. But anyone who recognizes the brilliance of West Coast Cool jazz, which Burns chose not to, would have to acknowledge Mulligan as its progenitor.
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