Charles Mingus Centennial Japanese Reissues

[JSngry]

I wish the splices had been able to have been made less obvious, but that's a technical point, not a musical one.

But please, nobody try to remake it, please. No good can come from that. None.

[Gheorghe]

20 hours ago, Late said:

I purchased two of these new Japanese UHQCD Mingus discs. So far, I've listened to one: The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady. I was able to give it a close listen all the way through as well as A/B it with the U.S. digipack release (from circa 1995). Impressions:

• Yes, this Japanese version sounds better—not compressed, and very natural. The first few seconds of the disc are free of the minor distortion that's present on the U.S. digipak edition. (Plus, it's nice, from a nerdy point of view, to have the Impulse! logo back on the cover art. I hate it when U.S. editions remove original logos.)

• I noticed, with the U.S. edition, the mids are considerably boosted. This helps to bring out some of the inner voicings, but the treble, as a result, tends to suffer some (rolled off?). Still, overall, the U.S. edition, considering its age, is really not that bad. I wouldn't rush out for the Japanese edition if you're happy with the U.S. edition.

• This new Japanese edition, even when the volume is turned way up, creates no ear fatigue (well, that was my own experience). You can also hear more clearly where the engineer (Rudy) placed Charlie Mariano's overdubs. Oh, and the section with Jay Berliner's guitar? Considerably cleaner and more present. The piano still sounds somewhat tinny, and some of the edits just weren't that good to begin with. Jerome Richardson's solos are of course still thrilling and jump right out at you.

This is such an expressive, even monumental, album—it's no wonder people consistently list it as their favorite, as well as Mingus's masterwork. I first heard it in 1990, and have never tired of listening to it. It helps though, I think, to be able to listen to the album in its entirety, if possible. Not only was this a peak in Mingus's recorded output, but I think it was for Charlie Mariano as well. Without Mariano on Mingus's Impulse! records, the vitality and passion wouldn't be what it is. He gave it his absolute all, and we get to repeatedly reap the rewards. In some ways, though I love Dolphy with Mingus, it's Mariano who was the perfect saxophonist for Mingus.

 

Oh, and these new Japanese editions come with a curious, but beautiful, plastic folder of sorts—with two well-reproduced photos of Mingus and "100th Anniversary" type. I don't know what one would use the folder for, but as Mingus paraphernalia, they're quite attractive.

I love to read reviews from users, much more than just posting an album cover and if time permits it, I try to make similar efforts. 

I think, I purchased "Black Saint" a bit later than my first Mingus LPs (the Paris Concert with Dolphy) and the 1960 Blues and Roots. This was somewhere in the mid 70´s.  Maybe I was still a bit too young at that time, since I missed some bass solos (for me,  besides being the great composer he was, Mingus for me was the bassist that impressed me mostly and when I picked up bass as a second instrument I tried to get some stuff from his way to play a solo) . And maybe a was a bit too young to dig this kind of Mingus´ soul, and in my case the alto of Mariano still sounded completly strange since the kind I knew alto was Bird, McLean, Dolphy, Jimmy Lylons....) . For years, and sure at that moment when I bought "Black Saint" his two great quintets (the one from 1964 and the one from the 70´s with Adams/Pullen) those two impressions somehow had spoiled me on other more albums with more written parts..., I saw Mingus after Adams had left and was replaced by Ricky Ford, still very very hot stuff....) 

But some years later I gave  "Black Saint" more listening and really enjoy it now. It seems I must have been more mature to dig it.