Mingus in Buenos Aires

[Gheorghe]

"Somebody who loves me" gave me this album 3 days ago. 

Oh man, that brings back memories. I saw the same band twice in 1977, they were fantastic, even better than the year before where they had the same lineup, but another pianist (danny Mixon). 

Bob Neloms is fenomenal...... such fingering, and all them quotes from other songs (It might as well be springs for 4 bars in "Noddin´ ya head blues" for example). 

The tunes that I heard on the concerts I attended was "For Harry Carney", "Cumbia and Jazz Fusion" and "Three or Four Shades of the Blues. 

Now that I hear this, it is as good as what I heard a month or two months later in Spain or Italy. 

I love that soloist - drums duet sections they are so strong and Danny Richmond does some trapswork as it sounds even like percussion instruments, that´s great !!! Only Mingus has the full solo chorusses and he went from the lowest  register up to the high notes of a little violin, it was just incredible, the best bass solos I ever heard, and a reason for me to buy myself a bass fiddle which I mastered and even got calls to fill in as a bass player, though I am a pianist. 

On Noddin´ Ya Head Blues its Mingus who starts the solo. That´s bass virtuosity on the highest level, oh yeah ! Before that, I had only the 1964 Paris record and it was the same, Mingus if he does a solo, he really talks on the bass, at that was equally brilliant 15 or so years later, though I had the impression that Mingus looked a bit exhausted and had a very hoarse voice. 

On Cumbia here on that record it´s first Mingus who sings the rap on "Mama´s lil baby likes shortnin´ bread", which is very easy and clear to understand, even for someone like me who learned English by reading liner notes and listening the the announcements of the great US Stars Mingus, Pharoah, Shepp, Sun Ra, all my heroes......

The encore , it is interesting Mingus on piano. He didn´t do that when I saw him some months later. He said "thank you VERY MUCH!" at the end and said "here´s my drummer", which meant that Danny played a drum solo as an encore.

But here I hear Mingus for the first time on piano. The tune has something of "Sues Changes" and then a powerful ostinato figure that I have heard but don´t know from  which tune it is. 

It´s very interesting to hear non pianists, I mean saxophonists, drummers, bassists play the piano. They have a different touch but a very very powerful rhythm feeling. I heard Archie Shepp playing a Monk tune on piano, I heard Art Blakey playing also a Monk tune (Thelonious), a vocal piano thing "For All we Know" and then a super swingin "Moten Swing". Blakey was top on piano !!!! 
I think Chet Baker played, but only with the right hand. 
Miles Davis did some super keyboard playing. His chords are unique, just fantastic. What he does on organ on "Ife" or was doing on the keyboard in the early 80´´s was unique....

 

So back to my hero Mingus whom I miss dearly, he was my main inspiration to become a good enough but poorly paid musician, the best job in ya live 😎

 

So please, enjoy that album !

Gh. 

[felser]

1 hour ago, Gheorghe said:

But here I hear Mingus for the first time on piano.

 

 

Check this out:

[Dub Modal]

Great reading your review of this. Will be giving it a spin 

[kh1958]

My copy arrives later today.