Charles Mingus by kokkinos 
Disclaimer: The comment writing process was executed backwards ie. beginning with #20 and working my way to the top. I'd suggest reading them that way for continuity's sake, otherwise a couple of points may seem out of place or not make that much sense.
- Chart updated: 06/07/2021 20:45
- (Created: 06/07/2021 20:41).
- Chart size: 20 albums.
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1962, RCA
Track Listing
1. Dizzy Moods
2. Ysabel's Table Dance
3. Tijuana Gift Shop
4. Los Mariachis
5. Flamingo
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass
Shafi Hadi - Saxophone (tenor, alto)
Gene Shaw - Trumpet
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Bill Triglia - Piano
Dannie RIchmond - Drums
Frankie Dunlop - Percussion
Ysabel Morel - Castanets, Vocals
Lonnie Elder - Vocals
Bob Rolontz - Producer
Let’s begin by declaring that this is the first record of his that I ever bought, I had already listened to Black Saint And The Sinner Lady and a couple of other Mingus albums and then I discovered this series, I wanna say it was called Masters Of Jazz, but I looked it up and nothing shows up, so it must have been a different title, when I get to my family home -unlikely to happen anytime soon - , I’ll try to dig it up and tell you the exact name. Anyway, it consisted of 22 parts, each one dedicated to a different jazz musician and it included his biography plus 1 album. Well, my initial reaction was to be disappointed it had this instead of Black Saint ..., how wrong was I. Based on Sketches Of Spain being my favourite by Miles Davis, I guess this can’t be that much of a surprise. If I had to compare them, this is a more honest take on the Latin spirit/culture. It fully immerses itself In it, it isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty, while the other one is looking from some distance, more academic if you will. So, what does the album cover tell us? “The album Charlie Mingus feels is his best work” yeah, sure, too bad he’s told something similar for pretty much every single album he ever recorded. The second part of the sentence is definitely more interesting “he and his men re-create an exciting stay in Mexico’s wild and controversial border town”. Now we ‘re talking, this serves as an accurate description of what you are about to hear. It was recorded in 1957, yet released in 1962 - it has been said that RCA was busy promoting a certain Elvis Presley and didn’t have the time to bother with any other artist. So, he visited Tijuana alongside drummer Dannie Richmond while being in a rather negative state of mind – his relationship with his wife Celia was in ruins – so he wanted to escape his problems by exposing himself to various dubious situations – you know what I mean. At the same time, he didn’t forget his craft and managed to create a piece of art that would embody his experiences. Dizzy Moods is the opening track, it's based on a Dizzy Gillespie composition “Woody ‘n You”, where trumpet player Gene Shaw steals the show. Ysabel's Table Dance is by far the most memorable thing here, I’ d say it’s a top 3 Mingus track. Its inspiration is obvious, a night club and some exceptionally skilled at a particular form of dancing that requires taking your clothes off girls. I guess Ysabel must have been a damn fine woman. It starts as a dizzying flamenco that raises dramatic intensity, followed by a piano interlude and then Hadi’s sax works its magic, not to mention some trademark uncontrolled shouting. Tijuana Gift Shop is based on a Mexican melody mixed with some traditional bop themes, a combination that works much better than one might expect. Los Mariachis is another totally unpredictable piece with endless twists and turns that you couldn’t have seen coming – it’s also the bluesiest track of the album. The closing track, Flamingo, finally brings the listener to peace offering a dreamy goodbye. Many artists have based their entire careers on transforming their personal struggles into a creative outburst and the way Mingus does it here surpasses most -if not all- of them. We can relate with some albums, because they remind us of the life we live and then there are albums that we relate, because they offer us a glimpse of a different life, that we may or may not have wanted to have lived instead. This is probably the best example of the second category. To sum it up, there’s one word that perfectly describes this album: hedonistic- I wanna say I came up with it myself, but the truth is there’s a very good chance I “borrowed” it from someone else, I really can’t recall, whatever. Ideally, I would like to close this comment with the pompous statement that this is my favourite jazz album of all time, but this would be somewhat misleading, if not outright pretentious, I feel the urgency to stress once more how painfully close the top four were and each of them could have been given the nod.
Score: 8.8/10
Track Listing
1. Dizzy Moods
2. Ysabel's Table Dance
3. Tijuana Gift Shop
4. Los Mariachis
5. Flamingo
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass
Shafi Hadi - Saxophone (tenor, alto)
Gene Shaw - Trumpet
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Bill Triglia - Piano
Dannie RIchmond - Drums
Frankie Dunlop - Percussion
Ysabel Morel - Castanets, Vocals
Lonnie Elder - Vocals
Bob Rolontz - Producer
Let’s begin by declaring that this is the first record of his that I ever bought, I had already listened to Black Saint And The Sinner Lady and a couple of other Mingus albums and then I discovered this series, I wanna say it was called Masters Of Jazz, but I looked it up and nothing shows up, so it must have been a different title, when I get to my family home -unlikely to happen anytime soon - , I’ll try to dig it up and tell you the exact name. Anyway, it consisted of 22 parts, each one dedicated to a different jazz musician and it included his biography plus 1 album. Well, my initial reaction was to be disappointed it had this instead of Black Saint ..., how wrong was I. Based on Sketches Of Spain being my favourite by Miles Davis, I guess this can’t be that much of a surprise. If I had to compare them, this is a more honest take on the Latin spirit/culture. It fully immerses itself In it, it isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty, while the other one is looking from some distance, more academic if you will. So, what does the album cover tell us? “The album Charlie Mingus feels is his best work” yeah, sure, too bad he’s told something similar for pretty much every single album he ever recorded. The second part of the sentence is definitely more interesting “he and his men re-create an exciting stay in Mexico’s wild and controversial border town”. Now we ‘re talking, this serves as an accurate description of what you are about to hear. It was recorded in 1957, yet released in 1962 - it has been said that RCA was busy promoting a certain Elvis Presley and didn’t have the time to bother with any other artist. So, he visited Tijuana alongside drummer Dannie Richmond while being in a rather negative state of mind – his relationship with his wife Celia was in ruins – so he wanted to escape his problems by exposing himself to various dubious situations – you know what I mean. At the same time, he didn’t forget his craft and managed to create a piece of art that would embody his experiences. Dizzy Moods is the opening track, it's based on a Dizzy Gillespie composition “Woody ‘n You”, where trumpet player Gene Shaw steals the show. Ysabel's Table Dance is by far the most memorable thing here, I’ d say it’s a top 3 Mingus track. Its inspiration is obvious, a night club and some exceptionally skilled at a particular form of dancing that requires taking your clothes off girls. I guess Ysabel must have been a damn fine woman. It starts as a dizzying flamenco that raises dramatic intensity, followed by a piano interlude and then Hadi’s sax works its magic, not to mention some trademark uncontrolled shouting. Tijuana Gift Shop is based on a Mexican melody mixed with some traditional bop themes, a combination that works much better than one might expect. Los Mariachis is another totally unpredictable piece with endless twists and turns that you couldn’t have seen coming – it’s also the bluesiest track of the album. The closing track, Flamingo, finally brings the listener to peace offering a dreamy goodbye. Many artists have based their entire careers on transforming their personal struggles into a creative outburst and the way Mingus does it here surpasses most -if not all- of them. We can relate with some albums, because they remind us of the life we live and then there are albums that we relate, because they offer us a glimpse of a different life, that we may or may not have wanted to have lived instead. This is probably the best example of the second category. To sum it up, there’s one word that perfectly describes this album: hedonistic- I wanna say I came up with it myself, but the truth is there’s a very good chance I “borrowed” it from someone else, I really can’t recall, whatever. Ideally, I would like to close this comment with the pompous statement that this is my favourite jazz album of all time, but this would be somewhat misleading, if not outright pretentious, I feel the urgency to stress once more how painfully close the top four were and each of them could have been given the nod.
Score: 8.8/10
Year of Release:
1962
Appears in:
Rank Score:
560
Rank in 1962:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
5
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1957, Atlantic
Track Listing
1. Haitian Fight Song
2. Blue Cee
3. Reincarnation Of A Lovebird
4. The Clown
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Wade Legge - Piano
Shafi Hadi - Saxophone (alto, tenor)
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Jean Shepherd - Narration
This is an album that can be divided in two parts. The first one – comprised of tracks 1,2 and 3 - includes some undeniably classic Mingus pieces. Haitian Fight Song is deservedly considered one of his finest moments, he decides it’s time for some serious flexing, that big fat bass swings relentlessly, it’s as if its life depended on it, super catchy stuff. It’s not all about entertainment though, it never is so simple with Mingus, all this energy is used as means to express his sociopolitical worries, as one could easily imagine based on its title. Blue Cee may give the impression that he takes his foot off the gas, but that’s by no means a bad thing, we need some time to catch our breath after the wild ride that the opening track provided us. Reincarnation of a Lovebird is one more tribute to Charlie Parker, who – everybody knows it by now- has been a central figure for Mingus. So, even though all of the above is good/great/call it how you want, this album is unquestionably defined by its second part, namely the closing self-titled track, everything here revolves around it, the album would be meaningless without it, anything that came before pales in comparison, it simply paved the way for it. And it is marvellous indeed, by far the one that has moved me the most by him. Actually, there are few pieces that have moved me like that by any artist, right now I can only think of one more. Overall, the vast majority of music I end up liking and connecting with lies on the sad end of the spectrum rather than the feel-good/cheerful - as the cliché goes, if you are looking for the poet, all you have to do is identify the most sorrowful person in the room - and this one could very well be the saddest of them all. Its premiss is simple: A tragicomic, allegorical story of a clown. A lot has already been said and even more could be added about the various ways it can be interpreted, but I’d rather leave it to the listener. all of them strike a chord anyway. Mingus wanted it to be like that, ambiguous I mean, judging by the ending he chose. And this album cover is so painful, it gets me every time. It’s not the first album that will be brought up when the “essential” Mingus albums are being discussed, but I think it is as vital as any of them, it reveals a part of his artistic personality that doesn’t appear in such a crystal clear manner in the rest of his discography. I’d go as far as to say this is one of those albums I would recommend giving it at least one try even if I knew you are not a fan of the man-which is hard to imagine, but anyway.
Score: 8.7/10
Track Listing
1. Haitian Fight Song
2. Blue Cee
3. Reincarnation Of A Lovebird
4. The Clown
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Wade Legge - Piano
Shafi Hadi - Saxophone (alto, tenor)
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Jean Shepherd - Narration
This is an album that can be divided in two parts. The first one – comprised of tracks 1,2 and 3 - includes some undeniably classic Mingus pieces. Haitian Fight Song is deservedly considered one of his finest moments, he decides it’s time for some serious flexing, that big fat bass swings relentlessly, it’s as if its life depended on it, super catchy stuff. It’s not all about entertainment though, it never is so simple with Mingus, all this energy is used as means to express his sociopolitical worries, as one could easily imagine based on its title. Blue Cee may give the impression that he takes his foot off the gas, but that’s by no means a bad thing, we need some time to catch our breath after the wild ride that the opening track provided us. Reincarnation of a Lovebird is one more tribute to Charlie Parker, who – everybody knows it by now- has been a central figure for Mingus. So, even though all of the above is good/great/call it how you want, this album is unquestionably defined by its second part, namely the closing self-titled track, everything here revolves around it, the album would be meaningless without it, anything that came before pales in comparison, it simply paved the way for it. And it is marvellous indeed, by far the one that has moved me the most by him. Actually, there are few pieces that have moved me like that by any artist, right now I can only think of one more. Overall, the vast majority of music I end up liking and connecting with lies on the sad end of the spectrum rather than the feel-good/cheerful - as the cliché goes, if you are looking for the poet, all you have to do is identify the most sorrowful person in the room - and this one could very well be the saddest of them all. Its premiss is simple: A tragicomic, allegorical story of a clown. A lot has already been said and even more could be added about the various ways it can be interpreted, but I’d rather leave it to the listener. all of them strike a chord anyway. Mingus wanted it to be like that, ambiguous I mean, judging by the ending he chose. And this album cover is so painful, it gets me every time. It’s not the first album that will be brought up when the “essential” Mingus albums are being discussed, but I think it is as vital as any of them, it reveals a part of his artistic personality that doesn’t appear in such a crystal clear manner in the rest of his discography. I’d go as far as to say this is one of those albums I would recommend giving it at least one try even if I knew you are not a fan of the man-which is hard to imagine, but anyway.
Score: 8.7/10
Year of Release:
1957
Appears in:
Rank Score:
593
Rank in 1957:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1956, Atlantic
Track Listing
1. Pithecanthropus Erectus
2. A Foggy Day
3. Profile Of Jackie
4. Love Chant
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass
Willie Jones - Drums
Mal Waldron - Piano
Jackie McLean - Saxophone (alto)
J.R. Monterose - Saxophone (tenor)
Nesuhi Ertegun - Producer
We had caught some glimpses of his grand artistic vision in his earlier attempts, but this is where greatness really begins. His first truly remarkable record – which happens to be his first with Atlantic-, a complete, uncompromising and groundbreaking artistic statement, we witness his agony to break the conventional chains and make his own path without forgetting tradition, he‘s been respectfully carrying his roots with him throughout his entire journey. This album changed the course of his own career, jazz music and arguably music in general – it explores uncharted territory and is one of the main factors that opened the floodgates to what became known as free jazz. When I checked the credits and found out that the band consists of a mere five members, I found it surprising to say the least, this sounds like a full-blown orchestra. The self-titled track is clearly the central piece of the album, it colourfully depicts the rise and fall of humanity, its main theme will get stuck in your head forever and keep popping up at random times – at least that’s what happened with me- not to mention that the tantalising play between climax and anticlimax is a wonder to behold. Telling a story through music was quite an innovative concept back then – I mean, it still is- and this is executed flawlessly. The narrative via music is a central theme in Foggy Day as well, which is another excellent track, a portrait of modern city’s madness– where modern keep in mind we are talking about 1956, that’s almost 65 years ago, it’s so powerful it’s still relevant, but spend a moment to imagine how it would have sounded if he were to record something similar nowadays. Some people consider it the weak link, especially the parts where the musical instruments emulate the sounds of car horns, sirens etc. To be honest, his jolly attitude has always been one of my favourite things about Mingus, so it’s only natural I love this part. Once upon a time this track almost got me into trouble, because I was listening to it and there was an alarm screaming right next to me and I thought it was part of the album, whatever, lol. All good in the end. Then comes Profile of Jackie, it seems the calm can come after the storm as well and what an absolute beauty it can be, especially if one takes into account the stark contrast it forms with what came before. Even though this is intended as a tribute to Jackie McLean, it’s probably the only track of the record where it’s the piano that stands out instead of the sax. The closing track, Love Chant, is the only one that doesn’t reach the same heights for me – and when it’s a track with a running time of almost 15 minutes, that’s an issue you can’t ignore. It’s a shame really, if this wasn’t included in the album, there’s no doubt in my mind that we would be looking at the number 1 of the list, I have to admit I feel slightly guilty for ranking it so low.
Score: 8.6/10
Track Listing
1. Pithecanthropus Erectus
2. A Foggy Day
3. Profile Of Jackie
4. Love Chant
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass
Willie Jones - Drums
Mal Waldron - Piano
Jackie McLean - Saxophone (alto)
J.R. Monterose - Saxophone (tenor)
Nesuhi Ertegun - Producer
We had caught some glimpses of his grand artistic vision in his earlier attempts, but this is where greatness really begins. His first truly remarkable record – which happens to be his first with Atlantic-, a complete, uncompromising and groundbreaking artistic statement, we witness his agony to break the conventional chains and make his own path without forgetting tradition, he‘s been respectfully carrying his roots with him throughout his entire journey. This album changed the course of his own career, jazz music and arguably music in general – it explores uncharted territory and is one of the main factors that opened the floodgates to what became known as free jazz. When I checked the credits and found out that the band consists of a mere five members, I found it surprising to say the least, this sounds like a full-blown orchestra. The self-titled track is clearly the central piece of the album, it colourfully depicts the rise and fall of humanity, its main theme will get stuck in your head forever and keep popping up at random times – at least that’s what happened with me- not to mention that the tantalising play between climax and anticlimax is a wonder to behold. Telling a story through music was quite an innovative concept back then – I mean, it still is- and this is executed flawlessly. The narrative via music is a central theme in Foggy Day as well, which is another excellent track, a portrait of modern city’s madness– where modern keep in mind we are talking about 1956, that’s almost 65 years ago, it’s so powerful it’s still relevant, but spend a moment to imagine how it would have sounded if he were to record something similar nowadays. Some people consider it the weak link, especially the parts where the musical instruments emulate the sounds of car horns, sirens etc. To be honest, his jolly attitude has always been one of my favourite things about Mingus, so it’s only natural I love this part. Once upon a time this track almost got me into trouble, because I was listening to it and there was an alarm screaming right next to me and I thought it was part of the album, whatever, lol. All good in the end. Then comes Profile of Jackie, it seems the calm can come after the storm as well and what an absolute beauty it can be, especially if one takes into account the stark contrast it forms with what came before. Even though this is intended as a tribute to Jackie McLean, it’s probably the only track of the record where it’s the piano that stands out instead of the sax. The closing track, Love Chant, is the only one that doesn’t reach the same heights for me – and when it’s a track with a running time of almost 15 minutes, that’s an issue you can’t ignore. It’s a shame really, if this wasn’t included in the album, there’s no doubt in my mind that we would be looking at the number 1 of the list, I have to admit I feel slightly guilty for ranking it so low.
Score: 8.6/10
Year of Release:
1956
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,833
Rank in 1956:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1962, Atlantic
Track Listing
1. Hog Callin' Blues
2. Devil Woman
3. Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am
4. Ecclusiastics
5. Oh Lord Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me
6. Eat That Chicken
7. Passions Of A Man
Credits
Charles Mingus - Vocals, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Doug Watkins - Bass
Roland Kirk - Flute, Manzello, Siren, Strich, Saxophone (tenor)
Booker Ervin - Saxophone (tenor)
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Nesuhi Ertegun - Producer
It should have become clear by now that Mingus has a tendency to hit the nail on the head with those titles and this one’s no exception, that’s the perfect title, Oh yeah! The same applies to the album cover as well, he is in a league of his own. Moving on to the real deal, Mingus gives up the bass – Doug Watkins is in charge instead- and takes up piano and vocals – oh yeah, those vocals! Well, they are not exactly that, but how can you describe them – that’s a running theme throughout this album, lots of things are going on that are almost impossible to express through words-, probably an unprecedented hybrid between shouting/squealing/howling/whatever. At some point he was asked how come he decided to add “singing” to his repertoire, he said something along the lines of I always do, it’s just that this time around the mics were left open, lol. Blues - in the rough/gritty way that I usually don’t like, but Mingus has the hands of Midas, everything he touches becomes gold - with a healthy dose of soul/gospel and tons of humour are the three main elements that make this album what it is. The opening track is madness personified, Mingus is in the zone and there’s no way you can stop him. It’s easy to tell artists like Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart were taking notes. Wham Bam is a piece that wouldn’t be out of place in Pithecanthropus Erectus, it expands on some ideas that were present there, the only difference being you could say it’s on steroids this time. Eat That Chicken is another refreshingly crazy ride, and again, what can one say about this stuff, words can’t do it justice, or at least I'm not good enough with them to carry off such a task. Passions of a Man makes for another spectacular and groundbreaking show, it is rightfully considered one of the very first moments of psychedelic music put on record. Above all, if there's one thing that makes this album stand out, it’s definitely the mood, everyone‘s having so much fun to the point it is instantly infectious, you ‘ll join the party without a second thought and soon enough you will not remember how or why you got there, but you won’t care that much about it anyway – and to return to the point I made at the start of this comment, you ‘ll be screaming Oh Yeah!.
Score: 8.5/10
Track Listing
1. Hog Callin' Blues
2. Devil Woman
3. Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am
4. Ecclusiastics
5. Oh Lord Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me
6. Eat That Chicken
7. Passions Of A Man
Credits
Charles Mingus - Vocals, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Doug Watkins - Bass
Roland Kirk - Flute, Manzello, Siren, Strich, Saxophone (tenor)
Booker Ervin - Saxophone (tenor)
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Nesuhi Ertegun - Producer
It should have become clear by now that Mingus has a tendency to hit the nail on the head with those titles and this one’s no exception, that’s the perfect title, Oh yeah! The same applies to the album cover as well, he is in a league of his own. Moving on to the real deal, Mingus gives up the bass – Doug Watkins is in charge instead- and takes up piano and vocals – oh yeah, those vocals! Well, they are not exactly that, but how can you describe them – that’s a running theme throughout this album, lots of things are going on that are almost impossible to express through words-, probably an unprecedented hybrid between shouting/squealing/howling/whatever. At some point he was asked how come he decided to add “singing” to his repertoire, he said something along the lines of I always do, it’s just that this time around the mics were left open, lol. Blues - in the rough/gritty way that I usually don’t like, but Mingus has the hands of Midas, everything he touches becomes gold - with a healthy dose of soul/gospel and tons of humour are the three main elements that make this album what it is. The opening track is madness personified, Mingus is in the zone and there’s no way you can stop him. It’s easy to tell artists like Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart were taking notes. Wham Bam is a piece that wouldn’t be out of place in Pithecanthropus Erectus, it expands on some ideas that were present there, the only difference being you could say it’s on steroids this time. Eat That Chicken is another refreshingly crazy ride, and again, what can one say about this stuff, words can’t do it justice, or at least I'm not good enough with them to carry off such a task. Passions of a Man makes for another spectacular and groundbreaking show, it is rightfully considered one of the very first moments of psychedelic music put on record. Above all, if there's one thing that makes this album stand out, it’s definitely the mood, everyone‘s having so much fun to the point it is instantly infectious, you ‘ll join the party without a second thought and soon enough you will not remember how or why you got there, but you won’t care that much about it anyway – and to return to the point I made at the start of this comment, you ‘ll be screaming Oh Yeah!.
Score: 8.5/10
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1963, Impulse!
Track Listing
1. Solo Dancer
2. Duet Solo Dancers
3. Group Dancers
4. Trio And Group Dancers
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Jerome Richardson - Flute, Saxophone (Soprano, Baritone)
Dick Hafer - Flute, Saxophone (Tenor)
Charlie Mariano - Saxophone (Alto)
Jay Berliner - Guitar (Acoustic)
Jaki Byard - Piano
Quentin Jackson - Trombone
Rolf Ericson - Trumpet
Richard Williams - Trumpet
Don Butterfield - Tuba
Bob Thiele - Producer
Speaking of bombs, it can’t get louder than this one. Oh, wait a second, to make matters even worse, I’ll shamelessly admit that it actually overperformed, I expected it to finish below Mingus Ah Um. It was the first album by Mingus I ever listened. At that time it made a serious impression, it was miles (pun intended) ahead of Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme, which were my first attempts at getting into jazz of that era and both of them had been major let downs to put it mildly. Then I started digging deeper into his catalogue and this was quickly surpassed. Now, it seems it has come full circle and it finds itself near the very top again. Maybe the more music we listen the more we can appreciate the classics? I don’t know, there's a reason they've attained this status. So, according to BEA, it’s the 107th album of all time. According to RYM, it’s the 13th best album of all time. Piero Scaruffi has called it the best jazz album of all time. After all the numerous accolades it has received up to this point, is there anything substantial to add about this album that hasn’t already been repeated to death? Hard to tell. Ballet oriented music has been quite my thing when it comes to classical music, but to make it work in a jazz environment makes for an impressive feat. I would say there are two main characteristics that elevate this record to such an absurdly high level of greatness-ok, there are many more, but those are the biggest ones for me. On the one hand, it perfectly captures the human experience, as it covers a wide area of emotions, for example anger, serenity, anxiety, love and everything in between. On the other hand, it’s too good to have been made by mere human beings, its class and elegance are unparalleled, that’s a work of a Supreme Being. In other words, it possesses all the necessary tools to achieve its aforementioned goal in a very colourful and descriptive yet flawless from a technical point of view manner, it strikes a happy medium. Yeah, I guess the point is any words I use can’t do it justice, I’m simply trying in vain. To sum it up, it’s by far the most essential album on this list. Scratch that, it’s the most essential out of all the albums that have appeared so far on this diary and it’s not even close. Sit back, relax, press play and enjoy. A masterpiece.
Score: 8/10
Track Listing
1. Solo Dancer
2. Duet Solo Dancers
3. Group Dancers
4. Trio And Group Dancers
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Jerome Richardson - Flute, Saxophone (Soprano, Baritone)
Dick Hafer - Flute, Saxophone (Tenor)
Charlie Mariano - Saxophone (Alto)
Jay Berliner - Guitar (Acoustic)
Jaki Byard - Piano
Quentin Jackson - Trombone
Rolf Ericson - Trumpet
Richard Williams - Trumpet
Don Butterfield - Tuba
Bob Thiele - Producer
Speaking of bombs, it can’t get louder than this one. Oh, wait a second, to make matters even worse, I’ll shamelessly admit that it actually overperformed, I expected it to finish below Mingus Ah Um. It was the first album by Mingus I ever listened. At that time it made a serious impression, it was miles (pun intended) ahead of Kind of Blue and A Love Supreme, which were my first attempts at getting into jazz of that era and both of them had been major let downs to put it mildly. Then I started digging deeper into his catalogue and this was quickly surpassed. Now, it seems it has come full circle and it finds itself near the very top again. Maybe the more music we listen the more we can appreciate the classics? I don’t know, there's a reason they've attained this status. So, according to BEA, it’s the 107th album of all time. According to RYM, it’s the 13th best album of all time. Piero Scaruffi has called it the best jazz album of all time. After all the numerous accolades it has received up to this point, is there anything substantial to add about this album that hasn’t already been repeated to death? Hard to tell. Ballet oriented music has been quite my thing when it comes to classical music, but to make it work in a jazz environment makes for an impressive feat. I would say there are two main characteristics that elevate this record to such an absurdly high level of greatness-ok, there are many more, but those are the biggest ones for me. On the one hand, it perfectly captures the human experience, as it covers a wide area of emotions, for example anger, serenity, anxiety, love and everything in between. On the other hand, it’s too good to have been made by mere human beings, its class and elegance are unparalleled, that’s a work of a Supreme Being. In other words, it possesses all the necessary tools to achieve its aforementioned goal in a very colourful and descriptive yet flawless from a technical point of view manner, it strikes a happy medium. Yeah, I guess the point is any words I use can’t do it justice, I’m simply trying in vain. To sum it up, it’s by far the most essential album on this list. Scratch that, it’s the most essential out of all the albums that have appeared so far on this diary and it’s not even close. Sit back, relax, press play and enjoy. A masterpiece.
Score: 8/10
Year of Release:
1963
Appears in:
Rank Score:
14,015
Rank in 1963:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1959, Columbia
Track Listing
1. Better Git It In Your Soul
2. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
3. Boogie Stop Shuffle
4. Self-Portrait In Three Colors
5. Open Letter To Duke
6. Bird Calls
7. Fables Of Faubus
8. Pussy Cat Dues
9. Jelly Roll
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
John Handy - Clarinet, Saxophone (alto)
Booker Ervin - Saxophone (tenor)
Shafi Hadi - Saxophone (tenor)
Horace Parlan - Piano
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Willie Dennis - Trombone
Teo Macero - Producer
There’s been the occasional surprise throughout this countdown, but for the most part the list has been rather straightforward so far, with the possible exception of Blues And Roots, so it’s about time to drop a real bombshell. There’s pretty much a consensus regarding his magnum opus, that’s The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. However, if there’s one album that can make a serious claim against it and fight for the first spot on almost equal terms, it has to be this one, it always finds its way near the very top no matter if the related list is being constructed by fans or critics. 1959 is – as I’ve already mentioned in this diary and I’m sure you’ve heard it elsewhere as well - a landmark year for jazz. There was – among many other noteworthy attempts - Kind of Blue, The shape Of Jazz To Come, Time Out, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers (the album) and of course this one right here. I had already known Mingus for quite some time and had established a firm opinion on his work when I got my hands to this record, but it managed to surprise – shock me to be precise – anyway, it instantly improved my perception of him at least a couple of notches. One element that immediately stood out is how cinematic this is, he really has the ability to paint vivid pictures that are dancing – and what a dance that is, sophisticated, graceful yet flamboyant and noisy- in front you. I thought only classical music – which of course is a major influence here, as is the case with most of his work - could be so powerful in that regard. At the same time, it’s catchy enough to be accessible for a reasonably wide audience without compromising its artistic identity - I respectfully disagree with reviews that call it conventional, I believe that's a stretch. Another cool yet touching aspect of this record is how many of those tracks are tributes , eg. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat is for Lester Young, Jelly Roll is for Jelly Roll Morton and Open Letter to Duke is obviously for Duke Ellington, Bird Calls is probably for Charlie Parker, but - unless I'm mistaken - Mingus himself has said it isn’t, so there's’ that as well. One more defining feature of this album are the contrasts it forms, the cheerfully frantic Better Git It In Your Soul goes all out, then it is directly followed by the slow burning Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. Boogie Stop Shuffle is boogie indeed, it is so playful, cartoonish even with a touch of film noir, at once it reminded me of Irving Joseph - Murder, Inc., an album I posted here two or three weeks ago. What to say about Self-Portrait In Three Colors, it has to be one of the greatest ballads of all time, easily the highlight of the album for me. If there’s one complaint to be made, it’s that it maybe be just a tiny bit front loaded and the second half struggles to keep up the pace, but I can easily look the other way and ignore this minor misstep. The summary is that he raised the bar higher than he had up to this point. And yeah, almost forgot about it, what an album cover, it further emphasises that this is a three-dimensional record, that’s art in every sense of the word.
Score: 7.95/10
Track Listing
1. Better Git It In Your Soul
2. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
3. Boogie Stop Shuffle
4. Self-Portrait In Three Colors
5. Open Letter To Duke
6. Bird Calls
7. Fables Of Faubus
8. Pussy Cat Dues
9. Jelly Roll
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
John Handy - Clarinet, Saxophone (alto)
Booker Ervin - Saxophone (tenor)
Shafi Hadi - Saxophone (tenor)
Horace Parlan - Piano
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Willie Dennis - Trombone
Teo Macero - Producer
There’s been the occasional surprise throughout this countdown, but for the most part the list has been rather straightforward so far, with the possible exception of Blues And Roots, so it’s about time to drop a real bombshell. There’s pretty much a consensus regarding his magnum opus, that’s The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. However, if there’s one album that can make a serious claim against it and fight for the first spot on almost equal terms, it has to be this one, it always finds its way near the very top no matter if the related list is being constructed by fans or critics. 1959 is – as I’ve already mentioned in this diary and I’m sure you’ve heard it elsewhere as well - a landmark year for jazz. There was – among many other noteworthy attempts - Kind of Blue, The shape Of Jazz To Come, Time Out, Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers (the album) and of course this one right here. I had already known Mingus for quite some time and had established a firm opinion on his work when I got my hands to this record, but it managed to surprise – shock me to be precise – anyway, it instantly improved my perception of him at least a couple of notches. One element that immediately stood out is how cinematic this is, he really has the ability to paint vivid pictures that are dancing – and what a dance that is, sophisticated, graceful yet flamboyant and noisy- in front you. I thought only classical music – which of course is a major influence here, as is the case with most of his work - could be so powerful in that regard. At the same time, it’s catchy enough to be accessible for a reasonably wide audience without compromising its artistic identity - I respectfully disagree with reviews that call it conventional, I believe that's a stretch. Another cool yet touching aspect of this record is how many of those tracks are tributes , eg. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat is for Lester Young, Jelly Roll is for Jelly Roll Morton and Open Letter to Duke is obviously for Duke Ellington, Bird Calls is probably for Charlie Parker, but - unless I'm mistaken - Mingus himself has said it isn’t, so there's’ that as well. One more defining feature of this album are the contrasts it forms, the cheerfully frantic Better Git It In Your Soul goes all out, then it is directly followed by the slow burning Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. Boogie Stop Shuffle is boogie indeed, it is so playful, cartoonish even with a touch of film noir, at once it reminded me of Irving Joseph - Murder, Inc., an album I posted here two or three weeks ago. What to say about Self-Portrait In Three Colors, it has to be one of the greatest ballads of all time, easily the highlight of the album for me. If there’s one complaint to be made, it’s that it maybe be just a tiny bit front loaded and the second half struggles to keep up the pace, but I can easily look the other way and ignore this minor misstep. The summary is that he raised the bar higher than he had up to this point. And yeah, almost forgot about it, what an album cover, it further emphasises that this is a three-dimensional record, that’s art in every sense of the word.
Score: 7.95/10
Year of Release:
1959
Appears in:
Rank Score:
7,419
Rank in 1959:
Rank in 1950s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1972, Columbia
Track Listing
1. The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers
2. Adagio ma non troppo
3. Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid Too
4. Hobo Ho
5. The Chill of Death
6. The I of Hurricane Sue
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano, Vocals
Ron Carter - Bass
Richard Davis - Bass
Milt Hinton - Bass
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Phil Kraus - Percussion
Charles McCracken - Cello
Julius Watkins - French Horn
Brooks Tillotson - French Horn
Jaki Byard - Piano
Roland Hanna - Piano
Patricia H. Bown - Piano
James Moody - Saxophone (Tenor)
Bobby Jones - Saxophone (Tenor)
Charles McPherson - Saxophone (Alto)
Hal McKusick - Saxophone (Alto, Baritone, Tenor)
Danny Bank - Saxophone (Baritone)
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Eddie Bert - Trombone
Jimmy Nottingham - Trumpet
Joe Wilder - Trumpet
Snooky Young - Trumpet
Lonnie Hillyer - Trumpet
Marvin Stamm - Trumpet
George Marge - Flute, Reeds
Hubert Laws - Flute
Jack Jennings - Tuba
Howard Johnson - Tuba
Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar
Teo Macero - Producer, Saxophone (Alto)
Speaking of goodbyes, here we go again and this time around it’s for real. Almost a decade had passed since his biggest moments, I can easily imagine an atmosphere of nervous apprehension having shrouded his fans and then comes this, as triumphant as a comeback can get. The use of a rainbow in the album cover can’t be a coincidence, the storm and the darkness is over, he's back in business. He proves beyond any reasonable doubt that he still has it, his vast pool of original ideas never cease to impress and inspire the listener. A mix of classical and jazz – that defined pretty much every following attempt in that field, listening to this it gives you the impression that these two genres were made for each other, a match made in heaven- , it grips you firmly from the very first moment and it never lets go. It radiates vibes that are reminiscent of end of the world epicness – Mingus with a big band at his disposal is always a joy to behold- and at the same time very sad, you realise how small and helpless you are as you see the end coming and it’s crushing you. He called it his most important creation – not the exact quote, but it was something along those lines- which is to be taken with a grain of salt, as he liked making similar remarks for most of his work. And again those titles, man, who else could have come up with something like this? The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers ? Is he for real ? By the way, that happens to be the highlight of the album as well. In less than 10 minutes it takes you to a wilder and more fascinating ride than most 45-minutes or even longer albums could only dream of. But then again, every single piece here is a strong candidate for getting the nod as the standout track. Adagio ma non troppo is a brilliant showcase of the classical music touch I previously mentioned. Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid Too has this circus-like vibe, that in a way reminds one of an album I haven't talked about yet, so more on that later - though the obvious difference is that it's dressed in a classical music article of clothing this time, fitting with the overall theme of the album, which wasn't the case in his previous similar attempt. The Chill Of Death is, well, chilling in the most wickedly twisted way one could think of, the spoken words part combines impeccably with the dramatic music to create an indescribable experience. Ok, the more I think about it, the more I get the impression I might have underrated it, so I'll come to a full stop here before I change my mind and rank it higher.
Score: 7.9/10
Track Listing
1. The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers
2. Adagio ma non troppo
3. Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid Too
4. Hobo Ho
5. The Chill of Death
6. The I of Hurricane Sue
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano, Vocals
Ron Carter - Bass
Richard Davis - Bass
Milt Hinton - Bass
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Phil Kraus - Percussion
Charles McCracken - Cello
Julius Watkins - French Horn
Brooks Tillotson - French Horn
Jaki Byard - Piano
Roland Hanna - Piano
Patricia H. Bown - Piano
James Moody - Saxophone (Tenor)
Bobby Jones - Saxophone (Tenor)
Charles McPherson - Saxophone (Alto)
Hal McKusick - Saxophone (Alto, Baritone, Tenor)
Danny Bank - Saxophone (Baritone)
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Eddie Bert - Trombone
Jimmy Nottingham - Trumpet
Joe Wilder - Trumpet
Snooky Young - Trumpet
Lonnie Hillyer - Trumpet
Marvin Stamm - Trumpet
George Marge - Flute, Reeds
Hubert Laws - Flute
Jack Jennings - Tuba
Howard Johnson - Tuba
Bucky Pizzarelli - Guitar
Teo Macero - Producer, Saxophone (Alto)
Speaking of goodbyes, here we go again and this time around it’s for real. Almost a decade had passed since his biggest moments, I can easily imagine an atmosphere of nervous apprehension having shrouded his fans and then comes this, as triumphant as a comeback can get. The use of a rainbow in the album cover can’t be a coincidence, the storm and the darkness is over, he's back in business. He proves beyond any reasonable doubt that he still has it, his vast pool of original ideas never cease to impress and inspire the listener. A mix of classical and jazz – that defined pretty much every following attempt in that field, listening to this it gives you the impression that these two genres were made for each other, a match made in heaven- , it grips you firmly from the very first moment and it never lets go. It radiates vibes that are reminiscent of end of the world epicness – Mingus with a big band at his disposal is always a joy to behold- and at the same time very sad, you realise how small and helpless you are as you see the end coming and it’s crushing you. He called it his most important creation – not the exact quote, but it was something along those lines- which is to be taken with a grain of salt, as he liked making similar remarks for most of his work. And again those titles, man, who else could have come up with something like this? The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers ? Is he for real ? By the way, that happens to be the highlight of the album as well. In less than 10 minutes it takes you to a wilder and more fascinating ride than most 45-minutes or even longer albums could only dream of. But then again, every single piece here is a strong candidate for getting the nod as the standout track. Adagio ma non troppo is a brilliant showcase of the classical music touch I previously mentioned. Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid Too has this circus-like vibe, that in a way reminds one of an album I haven't talked about yet, so more on that later - though the obvious difference is that it's dressed in a classical music article of clothing this time, fitting with the overall theme of the album, which wasn't the case in his previous similar attempt. The Chill Of Death is, well, chilling in the most wickedly twisted way one could think of, the spoken words part combines impeccably with the dramatic music to create an indescribable experience. Ok, the more I think about it, the more I get the impression I might have underrated it, so I'll come to a full stop here before I change my mind and rank it higher.
Score: 7.9/10
Year of Release:
1972
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,041
Rank in 1972:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1964, Impulse!
Track Listing
1. II B.S.
2. I X Love
3. Celia
4. Mood Indigo
5. Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul
6. Theme for Lester Young
7. Hora Decubitus
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Walter Perkins - Drums
Dick Hafer - Saxophone (tenor), Clarinet, Flute
Jerome Richardson - Flute, Saxophone (baritone, soprano)
Eric Dolphy - Saxophone (alto), Flute
Jay Berliner - Guitar (acoustic)
Jaki Byard - Piano
Charlie Mariano - Saxophone (alto)
Booker Ervin - Saxophone (tenor)
Quentin Jackson - Trombone
Britt Woodman - Trombone
Rolf Ericson - Trumpet
Richard Williams - Trumpet
Eddie Preston - Trumpet
Don Butterfield - Tuba
Bob Thiele - Producer
Not sure if the title made it clear enough, but this is an album by Charles Mingus (keyword: Mingus). Joking aside, there is a symbolism to be found behind it, here Mingus revisits Mingus, so it kinda makes sense – ok, it doesn’t, but let’s pretend it does, at least in his own unique universe where amazing happens. As the story has it, Mingus benefitted from the creative freedom he had been enjoying in Impulse! and decided to work on a series of older pieces. There is only one new composition to be found in this record, namely Celia, which happens to be the arguably weakest track here. Also, the idea of changing the titles is super cool, it further emphasizes his attitude: it’s not going to be just a workmanlike copy, but an actual sea change, his approach is innovative yet shows proper respect to the original material. So, II B.S. is Haitian Fight Song, Better Get Hit In Yo’ Soul is - obviously - Better Git It In Your Soul, Theme For Lester Young is Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Hora Decubitus is E's Flat Ah's Flat Too. Moon Indigo is of course Duke Ellington ’s classic and needs no other introduction. I guess the conclusion is that if there’s one man that can top Mingus, or at the very least give him a run for his money, it’s Mingus having a second chance to work on his material. Hora Decubitus is my favourite piece here, which is even more impressive when one takes into account that I wasn’t really thrilled by its counterpart, this one on the other hand is irresistible, it swings like there’s no tomorrow. Having the benefit of hindsight and considering what came afterwards, this album has a special place in his discography, his golden run was about to come to an end and this was only a fitting goodbye, as it had some of his brightest moments flashing before our eyes.
Score: 7.7/10
Track Listing
1. II B.S.
2. I X Love
3. Celia
4. Mood Indigo
5. Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul
6. Theme for Lester Young
7. Hora Decubitus
Credits
Charles Mingus - Bass, Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
Walter Perkins - Drums
Dick Hafer - Saxophone (tenor), Clarinet, Flute
Jerome Richardson - Flute, Saxophone (baritone, soprano)
Eric Dolphy - Saxophone (alto), Flute
Jay Berliner - Guitar (acoustic)
Jaki Byard - Piano
Charlie Mariano - Saxophone (alto)
Booker Ervin - Saxophone (tenor)
Quentin Jackson - Trombone
Britt Woodman - Trombone
Rolf Ericson - Trumpet
Richard Williams - Trumpet
Eddie Preston - Trumpet
Don Butterfield - Tuba
Bob Thiele - Producer
Not sure if the title made it clear enough, but this is an album by Charles Mingus (keyword: Mingus). Joking aside, there is a symbolism to be found behind it, here Mingus revisits Mingus, so it kinda makes sense – ok, it doesn’t, but let’s pretend it does, at least in his own unique universe where amazing happens. As the story has it, Mingus benefitted from the creative freedom he had been enjoying in Impulse! and decided to work on a series of older pieces. There is only one new composition to be found in this record, namely Celia, which happens to be the arguably weakest track here. Also, the idea of changing the titles is super cool, it further emphasizes his attitude: it’s not going to be just a workmanlike copy, but an actual sea change, his approach is innovative yet shows proper respect to the original material. So, II B.S. is Haitian Fight Song, Better Get Hit In Yo’ Soul is - obviously - Better Git It In Your Soul, Theme For Lester Young is Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Hora Decubitus is E's Flat Ah's Flat Too. Moon Indigo is of course Duke Ellington ’s classic and needs no other introduction. I guess the conclusion is that if there’s one man that can top Mingus, or at the very least give him a run for his money, it’s Mingus having a second chance to work on his material. Hora Decubitus is my favourite piece here, which is even more impressive when one takes into account that I wasn’t really thrilled by its counterpart, this one on the other hand is irresistible, it swings like there’s no tomorrow. Having the benefit of hindsight and considering what came afterwards, this album has a special place in his discography, his golden run was about to come to an end and this was only a fitting goodbye, as it had some of his brightest moments flashing before our eyes.
Score: 7.7/10
Year of Release:
1964
Appears in:
Rank Score:
696
Rank in 1964:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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1960, Columbia
Track Listing
1. Slop
2. Diane
3. Song With Orange
4. Gunslinging Bird
5. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
6. Far Wells, Mill Valley
7. New Now, Know How
8. Mood Indigo
9. Put Me In That Dungeon
Credits
Charles Mingus – bass
John Handy – saxophone (alto)
Booker Ervin – saxophone (tenor)
Benny Golson – saxophone (tenor)
Jerome Richardson – saxophone (baritone), flute
Richard Williams – trumpet
Don Ellis – trumpet
Jimmy Knepper – trombone
Roland Hanna – piano
Dannie Richmond – drums
Teddy Charles – vibraphone
Maurice Brown – cello
Seymour Barab – cello
Teo Macero - producer
People have been calling it an “unlucky” album”, because it’s something like part II of Mingus Ah Um. I can’t say the general view is that far off, these two are based on the same attitude. As a result, this tends to be overlooked in favour of the latter, which obviously made the bigger impression as it came out first – and let’s admit it, it’s a bit better as an album all things considered, absolutely no shame in that. Getting over the - fair or unfair depending on your perspective- comparisons and trying to find what differentiates this album from its predecessor, the most obvious element is that this features a bigger band and consequently a bigger sound, some of those tunes were actually intended for the big screen – and I’m speaking 100% literally here, it’s not a figure of speech, lol. Another noteworthy aspect is how the Duke Ellington influences go even deeper than usual, apart from the evident and pretty much self-explanatory Moon Indigo – a legendary piece by the way- , there’s also Things Ain’t What They Used to Be, which is written by Mercer Ellington, who is – ok, you probably guessed it- Duke’s son. If I had to pick a highlight, I’d probably go with Far Wells, Mill Valley, not the most obvious choice but it’s definitely a stand-out track, it’s usually considered either the best or the worst with the latter being the case more often than not, but I lean towards the former, it’s exotically grandiose in a way that I find simply impossible to resist. Of course, this comment wouldn't be complete without a reference to that album cover, I've always had a soft spot for Chinese/Far East cultural tradition - the album title is another tod towards the same direction as well - so you can easily imagine how close to home this one hits.
Score: 7.3/10
Track Listing
1. Slop
2. Diane
3. Song With Orange
4. Gunslinging Bird
5. Things Ain't What They Used To Be
6. Far Wells, Mill Valley
7. New Now, Know How
8. Mood Indigo
9. Put Me In That Dungeon
Credits
Charles Mingus – bass
John Handy – saxophone (alto)
Booker Ervin – saxophone (tenor)
Benny Golson – saxophone (tenor)
Jerome Richardson – saxophone (baritone), flute
Richard Williams – trumpet
Don Ellis – trumpet
Jimmy Knepper – trombone
Roland Hanna – piano
Dannie Richmond – drums
Teddy Charles – vibraphone
Maurice Brown – cello
Seymour Barab – cello
Teo Macero - producer
People have been calling it an “unlucky” album”, because it’s something like part II of Mingus Ah Um. I can’t say the general view is that far off, these two are based on the same attitude. As a result, this tends to be overlooked in favour of the latter, which obviously made the bigger impression as it came out first – and let’s admit it, it’s a bit better as an album all things considered, absolutely no shame in that. Getting over the - fair or unfair depending on your perspective- comparisons and trying to find what differentiates this album from its predecessor, the most obvious element is that this features a bigger band and consequently a bigger sound, some of those tunes were actually intended for the big screen – and I’m speaking 100% literally here, it’s not a figure of speech, lol. Another noteworthy aspect is how the Duke Ellington influences go even deeper than usual, apart from the evident and pretty much self-explanatory Moon Indigo – a legendary piece by the way- , there’s also Things Ain’t What They Used to Be, which is written by Mercer Ellington, who is – ok, you probably guessed it- Duke’s son. If I had to pick a highlight, I’d probably go with Far Wells, Mill Valley, not the most obvious choice but it’s definitely a stand-out track, it’s usually considered either the best or the worst with the latter being the case more often than not, but I lean towards the former, it’s exotically grandiose in a way that I find simply impossible to resist. Of course, this comment wouldn't be complete without a reference to that album cover, I've always had a soft spot for Chinese/Far East cultural tradition - the album title is another tod towards the same direction as well - so you can easily imagine how close to home this one hits.
Score: 7.3/10
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1957, Bethlehem Records
Track Listing
1. Memories Of You
2. East Coasting
3. West Coast Ghost
4. Celia
5. Conversation
6. Fiftyfirst Street Blues
Credits
Charles Mingus – bass
Clarence Shaw - trumpet
Jimmy Knepper - trombone
Shafi Hadi - saxophone
Bill Evans - piano
Dannie Richmond - drums
I never thought this would end up so high, probably the biggest overachiever of the list, based on my prior to re-listening assembled notes this would have taken something like 14th/15th/16th place, so to crack into the top-10 is quite a feat. As with Pre-Bird, it’s another one that doesn’t even have the bold distinction on RYM, whatever. I know many Mingus fans are disappointed with it, but I have to say I found it a pleasantly surprising change of pace. It has been said that this lacks some of his trademarks, namely the ambition and larger than life approach of Mingus. The truth is this would be rather normal hard bop were it not for Bill Evans, you all know what he can bring to the table and he is firing on all cylinders here. Just as it was the case with Mingus Plays The Piano that I brought up a couple of posts above, Bill Evans stands out as a piano player mainly due to his lyricism – ok, he happens to be able to play the piano and I mean really play, so there’s that as well. I like what he did here even more than his own album, Portrait In Jazz, I posted some time ago in this diary. When it comes to individual tracks, what is supposed to be the central piece of the album, namely West Coast Ghost, is somehow my least favorite, it starts kinda ok, but at some point it loses me, hard to explain why. On the other hand, it’s the opening track, Memories of You, that is by far my favourite one – which is notably the only non-original composition – it oozes emotion. Overall, it’s another very accessible record, if there’s the Mingus world and the mere mortals world, this is torn between those two worlds. Also, I haven’t cross-checked it, so I’m not 100% sure about it, but I read somewhere that this was recorded in the same sessions as Tijuana Moods, there must have been something in the water.
Score: 7.25/10
Track Listing
1. Memories Of You
2. East Coasting
3. West Coast Ghost
4. Celia
5. Conversation
6. Fiftyfirst Street Blues
Credits
Charles Mingus – bass
Clarence Shaw - trumpet
Jimmy Knepper - trombone
Shafi Hadi - saxophone
Bill Evans - piano
Dannie Richmond - drums
I never thought this would end up so high, probably the biggest overachiever of the list, based on my prior to re-listening assembled notes this would have taken something like 14th/15th/16th place, so to crack into the top-10 is quite a feat. As with Pre-Bird, it’s another one that doesn’t even have the bold distinction on RYM, whatever. I know many Mingus fans are disappointed with it, but I have to say I found it a pleasantly surprising change of pace. It has been said that this lacks some of his trademarks, namely the ambition and larger than life approach of Mingus. The truth is this would be rather normal hard bop were it not for Bill Evans, you all know what he can bring to the table and he is firing on all cylinders here. Just as it was the case with Mingus Plays The Piano that I brought up a couple of posts above, Bill Evans stands out as a piano player mainly due to his lyricism – ok, he happens to be able to play the piano and I mean really play, so there’s that as well. I like what he did here even more than his own album, Portrait In Jazz, I posted some time ago in this diary. When it comes to individual tracks, what is supposed to be the central piece of the album, namely West Coast Ghost, is somehow my least favorite, it starts kinda ok, but at some point it loses me, hard to explain why. On the other hand, it’s the opening track, Memories of You, that is by far my favourite one – which is notably the only non-original composition – it oozes emotion. Overall, it’s another very accessible record, if there’s the Mingus world and the mere mortals world, this is torn between those two worlds. Also, I haven’t cross-checked it, so I’m not 100% sure about it, but I read somewhere that this was recorded in the same sessions as Tijuana Moods, there must have been something in the water.
Score: 7.25/10
Total albums: 20. Page 1 of 2
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Charles Mingus composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 7 | 35% | |
| 1960s | 10 | 50% | |
| 1970s | 3 | 15% | |
| 1980s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1990s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Charles Mingus | 17 | 85% | |
| Charles Mingus & John La Porta | 2 | 10% | |
| Duke Ellington / Charlie Mingus / Max Roach | 1 | 5% |
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Charles Mingus ratings
89/100 (from 3 votes)
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
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100/100  | 05/02/2023 23:40 |  DriftingOrpheus | | 91/100 |
100/100 | 06/08/2021 21:08 |  LedZep | | 84/100 |
100/100 | 06/07/2021 21:08 |  Mercury | | 95/100 |
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100/100
From Mercury 06/07/2021 21:09
Mercury 06/07/2021 21:09
Excellent culmination to a very impressive diary project!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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