Mingus Ah Um
by Charles Mingus

Mingus Ah Um by Charles Mingus
Year: 1959
Overall rank: 230th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 729 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 5 albums of 1959 (2nd)
Award Top 10 albums of of the 1950s (2nd)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (230th)

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Product Details
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Mingus Ah Um] by Mingus, Charles (Record, 2010)
Condition: New


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Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um LP 12" Blue Colored Vinyl Record - NEW
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Charles Mingus ~ Mingus Ah Um [#’d/500 Clear with Orange Splatter Vinyl]
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Charles Mingus bestography

Mingus Ah Um is ranked 2nd best out of 54 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 12,422.

Charles Mingus album bestography « Higher ranked (91st)
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
This album (230th)
Mingus Ah Um
Lower ranked (911th) »
Pithecanthropus Erectus

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Mingus Ah Um track list

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

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Mingus Ah Um rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 230th | 1950s rank: 2nd | 1959 rank: 2nd
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 FischmanTop 100 Music Albums of 195917/1004
2026bobnickmadTop 98 Greatest Music Albums4/9897
2026 TamthebamTop 90 Music Albums of 19592/905
2026jdizzle123456Top 20 Music Albums of the 1950s3/2018
2026 JoaoMoreiraTop 15 Music Albums of the 1950s9/159
2026JohnnyoTop 38 Music Albums of the 1950s18/3811
2026 videoheadcleanerTop 100 Greatest Music Albums65/10036
2026 neilgeeTop 43 Music Albums of 19598/434
2026 RomanelliTop 29 Music Albums of the 1950s13/2912
2026 paladisiacTop 59 Music Albums of the 1950s45/595
2026 RockyRaccoonTop 100 Music Albums of the 1950s7/10019
2026UnliveableWiltsMy Top 250 Albums (101-200)60/100 -
2026bonnequestionBest Instrumental or Jazz Albums90/100 -
2026 junodog4Top 20 Music Albums of 19593/205
2026stangetzawayTop 100 Greatest Music Albums10/10090
2026Exist-en-cielTop 55 Music Albums of 19592/555
2026javicho07Top 19 Music Albums of 19593/194
2026 RomanelliMy Overall Chart: 1501-160051/100 -
2026jdizzle12345650s-70s47/69 -
2026 junodog4Top 85 Music Albums of the 1950s15/8517
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 662
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 6,822
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Mingus Ah Um collection

Mingus Ah Um ratings

Average Rating: 
84/100 (from 729 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help 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 729 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
100/100
 !
04/25/2026 23:34 Robert Anton Wil  Ratings distribution  1,14984/100
 
65/100
 !
04/11/2026 14:46 MagicSix  Ratings distribution  1,03660/100
 
85/100
 !
03/03/2026 21:28 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  12,85870/100
 
100/100
 !
02/02/2026 14:13 TheSink  Ratings distribution  1,46768/100
 
85/100
 !
01/19/2026 09:59 Sentido  Ratings distribution  35183/100

Rating metrics: Help 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 13.9.

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Mingus Ah Um comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 40 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  
95/100
From 12/21/2023 22:42 | #300581
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 | #288226
Fave songs: Better Git It In Your Soul, Fables of Faubus, and Boogie.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 05/21/2022 09:58 | #285589
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 | #283838
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 | #281032
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 | #280727
Absolutely solid
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 11/10/2021 19:44 | #276114
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 | #273169
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 | #264621
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 | #259562
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.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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