New Album of the Week: Charles Mingus, Mingus x 5

[Peter Johnson]

Greetings!

As discussed previously, this is the continuation of our thread series naming albums of the week for everyone to listen to with a critical (or merely pleasured) ear. For the week of April 6-April 12, I nominate Charles Mingus' ambitious, large-ensemble work on Impulse! from 1963: Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (click to buy), which has been reissued and is in print!

Highlights (your mileage may, of course, vary) include:

- In/out solos by Eric Dolphy;

- Screaming noir saxophone by Charlie Mariano; and

- New versions of Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul (from Mingus Ah Um, and probably earlier versions) and Haitian Fight Song (retitled "II B.S.") (from The Clown, and also probably earlier versions)

I hope you all post reviews describing whatever this record does for you (positive or negative, everything or nothing), and that a renewed listen makes you dance, sing, grab a glass of wine...well, you get my drift. I'll try to post my review Sunday evening.

Part of the deal is that I nominate the person who chooses next week's AOW--that person is CJ Shearns.

Enjoy!

_______________

Past Albums of the Week

Donald Byrd - "Byrd in Hand"

Wayne Shorter - "The All-Seeing Eye"

[AfricaBrass]

I wish it was next week already! I can't wait to start listening. I LOVE this album.

:rsmile:

[Peter Johnson]

Glad you like it! I'm hoping some folks with expansive Mingus knowledge will do some comparisons with his earlier versions of the songs on this record. If memory serves me correctly, the entire thing was performed largely without so much as a lead sheet--maybe a few chord structures, but usually with Mingus shouting the directions and changes from his bass. There are some SICK, unscripted moments on this record.

[J.A.W.]

This is one of my all-time favorites, though I rate Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady even higher. It's on its way to my CD player NOW.

[Jazzmoose]

Whew! Fortunately it's one I have, so no trip to the store is necessary...I wasn't sure I could afford another dinner out near Tower. (And any restaraunt near Streetlight Records is met with instant suspicion!)

[Parkertown]

Oh crap!!! I don't have this one!

I've got "Black Saint & Sinner Lady" tho. But it just ain't reachin' me...I tried again on Monday...

[king ubu]

This is one of my all-time favorites, though I rate Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady even higher.

Same with me, Hans. But I think these two are quite closely linked. Two tracks from Mingus x5 are from the Black Saint session, if I remember correctly. And the other session has our perrennial hero ( )Booker E. aboard and the remakes of the older compositions are quite nice, too. Though I have to admit that I prefer Haitian Fight Song on The Clown and Better Git It... on Ah Um (which is one of my all time favorites). But what makes the versions on Mingus x5 interesting is first that they feature a large ensemble and it works out very well, and, second, that on drums there is Walter Perkins instead of Dannie Richmond, and this works out well, too.

ubu

[Big Al]

Just now listening to it for the first time in my life, and I can't WAIT to review this one!

[CJ Shearn]

I used to have this one. Didn't make sense to me for the longest time. What I remember now is great playing and some very jerky splices which were very noticeable on the 20 bit version from a few years ago.

[Peter Johnson]

CJ, you might be referring to Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, which does have (intentional) splices that were equally noticable on the LP and were actually discussed in the liner notes to the 20-bit reissue....

[Jazzmoose]

Oh crap!!! I don't have this one!

I've got "Black Saint & Sinner Lady" tho. But it just ain't reachin' me...I tried again on Monday...

I agree with you, Parkertown...Black Saint is the one Mingus CD on my shelves that I rarely reach for. However, Mingus X 5 (Released shortly after "California's Newest Hit Makers, the Rolling Mingus", if I remember correctly...) is my favorite!

[CJ Shearn]

no actually it was Mingus X5..... I haven't really heard Black Saint and the Sinner Lady all that much.

[jazzbo]

I'm glad this release was recommended, because I haven't spun this in a while and I enjoyed listening to it again; it sounded really nice on a stereo that is improved since the last spinning, and I heard some new aspects to the music.

Really, this one I've had differing reactions to over time. Ultimately, I prefer the Mingus compositions here almost exclusively in their first recorded incarnations. I find that I like Mingus' works better in a small group. He worked hard to make a small group sound large and the effort helped to put across the emotions in his music. (And boy is his music emotional!) Still, he had some great albums with a larger ensemble. This isn't usually my top pick in that category, BUT this time around, I enjoyed it. (Sometimes I don't have the patience for this release; this time I was feeling groggy and I let it wash over me, and it was akin to motorcycling on a very hot Texas afternoon. . . the hot wind washes past you and pushes against you. . . .)

I think this and several other works during the years surrounding this can be interpreted slightly as another open letter to Duke Ellington. Mood Indigo certainly seemed to be pointing at that orchestra and saying "you could do this chestnut this way, roast it a little." Also I felt that "Better Get Hit in Your Soul" and "Theme for Lester Young" were approached with ducal intention. . . I may be way off base on this, way off base. I also would like to know how extensive and in particular where the Bob Hammer attention and execution was. "I X Love" and "Freedom" (not on the lp; I've only got the cd any longer) seem to me to have a Gil Evans sound to the arrangements, and this made for an interesting listen this time through, listening to that sound. . . .

I found that I still think Mingus had the best solos and showcases, although every time I hear Dolphy on this it perks me up. Dolphy and Richardson are excellent here. Richardson's baritone is really a force on this---the recording in general is very good, but the way that the baritone and other saxes are captured is quite exciting. Booker Ervin is a saxophonist that I seem to be less enthused with as time goes by (another is Wayne Shorter; I find that the odd sounds in the style of each are just a little too "bag of tricks" for me in the long run) but the way that his tenor is recorded here helps to make this a standout recording for his work for me, and he has a great solo or two here, some of my favorite of his.

Also having Perkins on some tracks lends a different feel than the locktight pulse that Mingus and Richmond always produce. That's something to listen for on this release as well.

Thanks again for bringing this up as a choice; I really enjoyed my listen to it today!

[jazzbo]

PS: What spurred me to listen to the cd when I did was hearing a Horace Tapscott live recording with Roberto Miranda on bass. Miranda was playing amazingly, with some sonorities and some technique that made me think immediately of Mingus, then I remembered I had meant to listen to Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus.

Miranda is a MONSTER!

[Big Al]

Well, this is why I like the whole AOTW project: I get to hear albums I might not normally have bought of my own choosing. (Actually, this isn't my copy: it's borrowed from the library).

On first listening, I have mixed emotions: on the one hand, the sectionals are breathtaking and energetic, the swingers swing and the ballads are beautiful. On the other hand, some of those solos are just so raucous, especially on the ballads.

I may go back and listen to it again before the week is up, but this just confirms what I've always felt: I just don't get Mingus. I appreciate him, respect him, and hold him in the highest regard as a composer, bassist, arranger, and soloist. I just wish I could get him, y'know? I'm looking forward to that day when something in a Mingus record just jumps out, slaps me around, and says, SEE?!?!?!?" Until then, I'll just appreciate from afar, I s'pose.

[jazzbo]

Big Al, hey that happens. One day Mingus may click for you. I think that the one that did it for ME was an lp reissue of "East Coasting." That session just opened up the way that he put together his music, and then when I started to collect and study and absorb Ellington, I found a way to understand and enjoy other Mingus works.

I'm glad you listened to Mingus x 5 and gave it a chance! As you say one day you may find yourself a big Mingus fan, and if not, 'salright!

[Soul Stream]

thanks for the reviews lon and big al. it seems nobody has given a big 'thumbs up' to this one. i've never heard the recording myself. a little mingus goes a long way with me, but a few of his titles really hit me, like 'oh yeah' and 'ah um.' wanted to pick up 'the clown' a couple of times but haven't yet, although i know i should. but, admittedly, you can't like everything and mingus is one of mine.

coupled with my initial hesitation and the less than enthusiastic reviews, mingus x 5 won't be on my 'to do' list anytime soon.

i really like the album of the week idea....

[AfricaBrass]

I'll do my track by track review later, but I just wanted to chime in.

I'm surprised at the poor showing this album is receiving.

I agree that many of the tracks are not the definitive versions of these compositions, but I still find them very interesting and they nice bookends to the originals. I love the orchestrations and the spirit of the performances. It can be bombastic in places, but it is also thrilling in others. This album always lifts my mood.

I also think that Mingus' bass really gets to shine on this album.

Soul Stream, I wouldn't give up on this album so quickly. In my opinion, it's a nice entry into Mingus' universe. I think you'd really be missing out on not hearing it at all.

:rsmile:

Edited April 8, 2003 by AfricaBrass

[jazzbo]

I wouldn't exactly say I gave it a short showing. . . .

It's not my favorite of Mingus' big band dates, and I'm not always moved to the core by this (in some ways it seems a patchwork, coming from two sessions) BUT it's Mingus and he's high on my list of composers and leaders and players. I did say that I thought he had the best solos!

[AfricaBrass]

I wouldn't exactly say I gave it a short showing. . . .

It's not my favorite of Mingus' big band dates, and I'm not always moved to the core by this (in some ways it seems a patchwork, coming from two sessions) BUT it's Mingus and he's high on my list of composers and leaders and players. I did say that I thought he had the best solos!

I wasn't picking on you, Jazzbo. I thought your reviews were quite insightful. I too, love Mingus' small group recordings.

That's a good point about it seeming to be a bit of a patchwork and in a previous post you mentioned this possibly being an open letter to Duke Ellington. I think that is a great insight. It really does feel like Mingus is trying to do an Ellington album Mingus style.

I think the ballads are better served in their original recordings, but the upbeat stuff is a kick.

I just hope people will give this album a chance. There are some great moments on it.

:rsmile:

[jazzbo]

Yeah, I hope people will give this album a chance to. As you say there are some moments that are just brilliant!

But you know, if they keep listening to Mingus I think it is possible that one day as Big Al mentions they might SEE and then they may become like I am (and I suspect you are): MINGUS NUTS WHO HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL!

[AfricaBrass]

But you know, if they keep listening to Mingus I think it is possible that one day as Big Al mentions they might SEE and then they may become like I am (and I suspect you are): MINGUS NUTS WHO HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL!

You hit it on the head. I am proud to be a member of the "MINGUS NUTS WHO HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL!"

I was fortunate to be exposed to Mingus' music early in my jazz listening.

I used to think everyone was a Mingus nut. How can you not be?

[jazzbo]

Once he gets under your musical skin and in your head, it's hard to believe that Mingus isn't a favorite of every jazz nut!

[.:.impossible]

This is such a brilliant album. I remember being in an interview right out of college for a hot-shot advertising agency in Richmond, VA. I had breakfast with the Creative Director, followed by a tour of the agency, and a sit-down in his huge glass office overlooking the foyer and the city. I knew I wasn't going to get the job, that he was humoring my aunt (she is a production manager there) and we got off on a conversation about music. This is the one album that I recommended. He told me he liked the blues and I told him that Charles Mingus was a blues genius. I wrote the title down for him and pounded the name of the album into his head.

I would never have even considered the "definitive version" angle had it not been brought up here. For what it is worth, I never think about that stuff when I'm listening to Monk either. I get so wrapped up in the music that I forget I've even heard it before.

This is as good a place as any to hear Better Get Hit in Yo Soul. I especially enjoy the closing section where he resorts to an older swing style to relay the jubilation of the music. Even my grandfather could get down with this.

Rather than go track by track, I'll just echo the sentiment that this is as good a place as any to hear Charles Mingus' genius. His instrument is so well recorded on these two dates and the charts (or lack thereof as someone mentioned above) really work for me. I think horn combination is wonderful, especially the tuba with Mingus' bass! I very much hear this as an homage to Duke Ellington.

What an emotional roller coaster this album is. If you're not careful, it'll swallow you, wash you around, and spit you back out before you can say Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus. (Kind of a wine reference. This is a great compliment to any bottle of red.)

[Big Al]

But you know, if they keep listening to Mingus I think it is possible that one day as Big Al mentions they might SEE and then they may become like I am (and I suspect you are):  MINGUS NUTS WHO HAVE TO HAVE IT ALL!

I can only hope!!!

Edited April 9, 2003 by Big Al