Mingus Ah Um (studio album) by Charles Mingus

Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
Year: 1959
Overall rank: 231st   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 723 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1959 (2nd)
Award Top 10 albums of the 1950s (2nd)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (231st)
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Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um(Vinyl)
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Charles Mingus~Mingus Ah Um (#048 /500) Clear with Orange Splatter Vinyl (NM)
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Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um 12" Clear Vinyl LP 2024 180g DOL717HZ
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Charles Mingus bestography

Mingus Ah Um is ranked 2nd best out of 53 albums by Charles Mingus on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Charles Mingus is The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady which is ranked number 91 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 13,388.

Charles Mingus album bestography « Higher ranked (91st) This album (231st) Lower ranked (941st) »
The Black Saint And The Sinner LadyMingus Ah UmPithecanthropus Erectus

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Mingus Ah Um track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 84 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Mingus Ah Um rankings

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Mingus Ah Um ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 723 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 723 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
65/100
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06/15/2025 10:28 Invader666  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,62865/100
 
70/100
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06/04/2025 09:08 drstuey  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,68573/100
 
60/100
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05/31/2025 14:25 Elauqsapid  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 2,66864/100
 
80/100
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05/21/2025 14:52 dukeboxkool  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,79073/100
 
70/100
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05/12/2025 10:43 CharonBri  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,00175/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 84.4/100, a mean average of 83.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 84.6/100. The standard deviation for this album is 13.8.

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Mingus Ah Um comments

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Rating:  
95/100
From 12/21/2023 22:42
Tracks 2-7 are exceptional. "Fables of Faubus" is particularly memorable. 9.5/10!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/07/2022 04:43
Fave songs: Better Git It In Your Soul, Fables of Faubus, and Boogie.
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Rating:  
90/100
From 05/21/2022 09:58
This album is immense and the quality that is presented for us is nothing short of astounding. Every time I listen to this record I am just waiting for it to become dull but that time never comes. Mingus maintains this infectious energy the whole way through which has you toe tapping without you even realising you are. The record really explodes onto the scene with one of my favourite ever pieces by Mingus which is Better Get Hit In Your Soul. The performances we get on this track are phenomenal with my favourite being the drum solos we get near the close of the song. They are vibrant and fun whilst never losing the flow or feel of the music they are going for. This standard is then continued throughout the rest of the release with every performer being given their time to shine and all of them take that moment and sound amazing. Overall, this is a masterpiece in jazz music and adds to the already very strong argument that 1959 is the best year for jazz music.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 04/05/2022 15:47
A great album in variety, ability, sound, and accessibility. Classic status, A+
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 02/09/2022 17:23
One of my favourite jazz album of all time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 02/04/2022 18:05
Absolutely solid
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 11/10/2021 19:44
One of my favorite toe-tappers to get into.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/01/2021 16:38
A breath of fresh air after listening to a lot of Miles Davis. Love Miles Davis, but his flavor of jazz is really dark, bordering on evil. Mingus Ah Um is light and vibrant and makes you tap your toe the entire time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/18/2021 20:57
Sounds great, but having been exposed to Black Saint in college, I was surprised by how comparatively conventional this feels, released only four years prior.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 10/22/2020 09:56
The greatest Ive heard from him yet. Im ready to say that it's more mature than Clown or Erectus, who sometimes go all over the place for bass solos. For me, theres a point where trying to be too inventive ruins the music, Mingus Ah Um does NOT do that.

Masterpiece.
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Best Albums of 1959
1. Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis
2. Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
3. Time Out by The Dave Brubeck Quartet
4. The Shape Of Jazz To Come by Ornette Coleman
5. Berry Is On Top by Chuck Berry
6. Moanin' In The Moonlight by Howlin' Wolf
7. Little Girl Blue by Nina Simone
8. The Genius Of Ray Charles by Ray Charles
9. Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs by Marty Robbins
10. Chega De Saudade by João Gilberto
11. N° 4 by Jacques Brel
12. Porgy And Bess by Miles Davis
13. What'd I Say by Ray Charles
14. Ritchie Valens by Ritchie Valens
15. Jazz In Silhouette by Sun Ra And His Arkestra
16. Go Bo Diddley by Bo Diddley
17. Chet by Chet Baker
18. Workin' With The Miles Davis Quintet by Miles Davis Quintet
19. Ella Fitzgerald Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Songbook by Ella Fitzgerald
20. I'm John Lee Hooker by John Lee Hooker
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