Mingus: Changes

[jazzbo]

Hmmmm. . . I don't think he did, can't think of an instance, but he may have. . . .

[JSngry]

Maybe you're confusing Harper w/Adams in the context of Gil Evans' band?

[skeith]

I love these Changes One and Two albums also.

I do think that spirit was carried over nicely into the wonderful Don Pullen/George Adams quartet, which I was fortunate enough to see live and man did they play. One of the greatest jazz bands of the 80's.

[Late]

You guys are probably right. In the documentary Triumph of the Underdog, who's the tenor player in the concert scene from the 70's where Mingus says "Turn the fuckin' mike on"? For some reason, I got it in my head that that was Billy Harper. It doesn't look like George Adams, but could it be Ricky Ford?

[kh1958]

As for Mingus's energy level, you gotta remember that the guy was pretty heavily medicated at the time, and began getting ill shortly after he came off the meds.. And aside from that, the edition of the band that had Hamiett Bluiett in it along with Adams & Pullen cast Mingus for the first time in the role of "musical conservative" in is own band! His comments at the time seem to indicate a mixture of feelings about the "wilder" elements being brought to his music. Crazy, eh?

I saw Mingus play some of the Changes music a few weeks before the recording session from the second row of the concert hall. He was certainly very large, dressed completely in black, and left most of the soloing to Adams, Pullen and Walrath, but played extremely well, with energy and intensity, played an incredible solo on For Harry Carney, spoke very lucidly and with a droll sense of humor, and did not appear to me to be "heavily medicated."

His bass playing did not seem to decline until the Three or Four Shade of Blues sessions.

[brownie]

Incidentally, wasn't Mingus taking Mellaril (liquid cosh) under prescription for a couple of years in the late 60s?

Charles Mingus always had with him, a small trunk which was packed with all kind

of medications. He had it when I saw him in Paris in 1964. He kept it at hand and

would pick up various pills or liquids from it off and on.

[sidewinder]

I seem to recall hearing of the liquid vitamin B and hypodermics during the filmed house raid in the mid 60s - the needles were found by the cops and nearly got Mingus in jail ..

Building on a previous point made, I would agree that there was definitely more of a focus by Mingus on composition in those final years, as distinct from the bass playing and aggressive direction of the band. I still very much like the recordings made during these final years though, although I've not heard 'Let My Children Hear Music' and 'Me, Myself, Eye' in full.

Also remember seeing the Mingus Dynasty on one of those early European tours around 1980/81 - they did several seasons at Ronnie Scotts. Recollections are hazy now, wish I could have a recap of the music. Very much dominated by Dannie Richmond (who was superb), George Adams and Sir Roland Hanna. Not sure if John Handy was also in the lineup. It was the only time I ever saw Johnny Coles, who was on trumpet and flugel, Jimmy Knepper was there too. Bass player was Aladar Pege, who I believe was given one of Mingus's basses. Sometime after this engagement, the Adams/Pullen Quartet played the club - I recall them doing the tune 'Don't Lose Control' from the Soul Note album.

Edited July 26, 2003 by sidewinder

[kh1958]

I saw one edition of Mingus Dynasty, it had Dannie Richmond, Johnny Coles, Ricky Ford, Richard Davis and Horace Parlan.