Charles Mingus Music

The double LP of Mingus at Monterey was one of my prize possessions in the late 60's. It had a great sound, as I remember. This version of Meditations is a masterpiece. However, in the transfer to CD, the sound of the horns especially the flute in the higher registers, is all distorted, and whoever engineered it must have had cloth ears. Too much top-end, transfer levels too high, it's a travesty. Everytime I play the CD, I tell myself that I will ignore the poor quality this time, but it's always difficult. Such wonderful music is marred by someone's insensitivity.

This is Mingus and his band at the top of their career...and for Mingus, the top was very high indeed.

Most of the set is an exteneded hmage to Duke Ellington. Ellington's voicing and swing were always present in Mingus' work--and he "covered" Duke's compositions often. However, Mingus being Mingus, it all sounds like him, not like Ellington at all. This ability to take works so powerful as those written and perfomrmed by Ellington, and make them uniquely his own, sets Mingus appart as an arranger and performer. To my knowledge, this is by far the longest, most concentrated focus on Dke that Mingus ever recorded. This albumn is a must have for that alone.

Similarly, Mingus' own compositions shine through (along with the political commentary inherent in his titles, and sometimes rambling introductions).

All of that said, the recording quality is terrible. Primitive recording sounds terribly muddy and distracting at times. Someone needs to reissue this, all cleaned up--unless the original tapes are hopeless?

A definite buy for a dedicated fan. Not the place to start your discovery of Mingus' career however.

If you must have one recording to show the total capabilities of Charles Mingus, this is the one and it's an extravaganza. It's all here: Mingus' extended solos, an excellent, muscular Mingus small group, and finally a large elephantine Mingus orchestra thrashing about in controlled fury over one of his best musical themes. For those of us who had to suffer through the odd musical breaks and the time it took to flip the records over in the original two record set, this CD is 'Mingus Nirvana'.

While other live efforts were sometimes heavily editied and studio efforts had Mingus confined by the time clock, either through solo restrictions or heavy editing, on this recording Mingus was allowed to roam freely over the musical landscape in front of a live crowd. And roam he did. His beautiful bass solos are displayed in their entirety and the band gets lots of solo room.

My favorite small group solos are Charles McPherson's beautifully evocative exposition on "In A Sentimental Mood", Mingus' masterful solo on "I've Got It Bad...", & Jaki Byard's 'piano history' solo on "Take The A Train". Beyond this is the beautiful soaring ensemble playing on "Orange Was The Color...." which gets a falsetto rise out of Mingus,

"Meditations on Integration" is an extended work that is a world unto itself. You may have to reserve time to digest this one all by itself. Wonderful moments are the main orchestral theme, Mingus' drop-dead gorgeous arco bass solos, Byard's heroic pianistics, the interplay between the piano and bass, and a rip-roaring solo by McPherson that simply must be heard to be believed (and seems to be audibly driving Mingus wild). The incredible ensemble playing on "Meditations on Integration" slowly builds to a wild, though scripted, climax that is reminiscent of the multiple mini-climax' at the end of "The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady". It builds to a blazing sonic hurricane and an amazing experience. The well deserved standing ovation at the climax of the piece goes on and on. "Hard to imagine", indeed.

The sound quality is up and down, but don't let that dissuade you from this incredible experience. Five Stars!!

DO NOT BUY THIS IMPORT CD! Mingus' great Monterey concert has been butchered by a CD so poor as to be unlistenable. My copy, bought new by the way, has surface noise and distortion that completely ruins the lisening experience. I can only wonder why this album has never been reissued on CD in the U.S.

The core quintet (sadly under-documented) of this record (Lonnie Hillyer, Charles McPherson, Jackie Byard, Dannie Richmond, and the man himself) played together (with variations depending on availability) from 1964-1970. Mingus named another record with them "My Favorite Quintet". Comparing this to "The Great Concert of Charles Mingus" recorded a few months earlier is instructive as it demonstrates the breadth / adaptability etc. of Mingus' musical personality and how responsive he was to the musicians he was working with. Without Eric Dolphy this music is more mainstream than The Great Concert, but very flexible and free within its chosen context. Charles McPherson (hard to imagine a greater contrast to Eric Dolphy as the lead voice) plays beautifully on "Orange" (for me this is the best realized version of this beautiful song and the masterpiece of this album) and "In a Sentimental Mood". Lonnie Hillyer crackles in contrast to his smoothness. Jaki Byard (so like Mingus in his sense of history) is his usual vituostic and encyclopedic self. The bass playing (particularly the solo "I Got it Bad") is magnificent and, as always, so is Dannie Richmond's drumming. John Handy (subbing for Booker Ervin) contributes a solo on "A Train".
The Orchestral "Meditations" is frantic and reminiscent of other large ensemble works by Mingus (which, sadly, tend to be under-rehearsed). Very powerful, but (not to me) as emotionally effecting as the quintet version from The Great Concert.
This record, The Great Concert, and At Antibes form a triumverate of live documentation that show different facets of Mingus, revealing in different ways the incredible power of his personality coupled with his equally incredible capacity for listening to / responding to the personalities of those in his band. His live records have a very different quality from his (equally magnificent) studio efforts, a spontaneous and flexible relationship to the material that demonstrates a separate exploration of the concept of freedom to the then-prevailing idioms of free jazz. This complexity (fascinating to me) seems to have prevented his getting the acclaim critics lavish on musicians whose products are more uniform and whose work requires less thought to categorize. The aspect that ties Mingus' body of work together is its emotional honesty rather than a particular 'sound' or 'style' and critics and academics don't seem to know how to deal with that.
I hope an affordable edition of this comes out soon.

The double LP of Mingus at Monterey was one of my prize possessions in the late 60's. It had a great sound, as I remember. This version of Meditations is a masterpiece. However, in the transfer to CD, the sound of the horns especially the flute in the higher registers, is all distorted, and whoever engineered it must have had cloth ears. Too much top-end, transfer levels too high, it's a travesty. Everytime I play the CD, I tell myself that I will ignore the poor quality this time, but it's always difficult. Such wonderful music is marred by someone's insensitivity.

This is Mingus and his band at the top of their career...and for Mingus, the top was very high indeed.

Most of the set is an exteneded hmage to Duke Ellington. Ellington's voicing and swing were always present in Mingus' work--and he "covered" Duke's compositions often. However, Mingus being Mingus, it all sounds like him, not like Ellington at all. This ability to take works so powerful as those written and perfomrmed by Ellington, and make them uniquely his own, sets Mingus appart as an arranger and performer. To my knowledge, this is by far the longest, most concentrated focus on Dke that Mingus ever recorded. This albumn is a must have for that alone.

Similarly, Mingus' own compositions shine through (along with the political commentary inherent in his titles, and sometimes rambling introductions).

All of that said, the recording quality is terrible. Primitive recording sounds terribly muddy and distracting at times. Someone needs to reissue this, all cleaned up--unless the original tapes are hopeless?

A definite buy for a dedicated fan. Not the place to start your discovery of Mingus' career however.

If you must have one recording to show the total capabilities of Charles Mingus, this is the one and it's an extravaganza. It's all here: Mingus' extended solos, an excellent, muscular Mingus small group, and finally a large elephantine Mingus orchestra thrashing about in controlled fury over one of his best musical themes. For those of us who had to suffer through the odd musical breaks and the time it took to flip the records over in the original two record set, this CD is 'Mingus Nirvana'.

While other live efforts were sometimes heavily editied and studio efforts had Mingus confined by the time clock, either through solo restrictions or heavy editing, on this recording Mingus was allowed to roam freely over the musical landscape in front of a live crowd. And roam he did. His beautiful bass solos are displayed in their entirety and the band gets lots of solo room.

My favorite small group solos are Charles McPherson's beautifully evocative exposition on "In A Sentimental Mood", Mingus' masterful solo on "I've Got It Bad...", & Jaki Byard's 'piano history' solo on "Take The A Train". Beyond this is the beautiful soaring ensemble playing on "Orange Was The Color...." which gets a falsetto rise out of Mingus,

"Meditations on Integration" is an extended work that is a world unto itself. You may have to reserve time to digest this one all by itself. Wonderful moments are the main orchestral theme, Mingus' drop-dead gorgeous arco bass solos, Byard's heroic pianistics, the interplay between the piano and bass, and a rip-roaring solo by McPherson that simply must be heard to be believed (and seems to be audibly driving Mingus wild). The incredible ensemble playing on "Meditations on Integration" slowly builds to a wild, though scripted, climax that is reminiscent of the multiple mini-climax' at the end of "The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady". It builds to a blazing sonic hurricane and an amazing experience. The well deserved standing ovation at the climax of the piece goes on and on. "Hard to imagine", indeed.

The sound quality is up and down, but don't let that dissuade you from this incredible experience. Five Stars!!

DO NOT BUY THIS IMPORT CD! Mingus' great Monterey concert has been butchered by a CD so poor as to be unlistenable. My copy, bought new by the way, has surface noise and distortion that completely ruins the lisening experience. I can only wonder why this album has never been reissued on CD in the U.S.

The core quintet (sadly under-documented) of this record (Lonnie Hillyer, Charles McPherson, Jackie Byard, Dannie Richmond, and the man himself) played together (with variations depending on availability) from 1964-1970. Mingus named another record with them "My Favorite Quintet". Comparing this to "The Great Concert of Charles Mingus" recorded a few months earlier is instructive as it demonstrates the breadth / adaptability etc. of Mingus' musical personality and how responsive he was to the musicians he was working with. Without Eric Dolphy this music is more mainstream than The Great Concert, but very flexible and free within its chosen context. Charles McPherson (hard to imagine a greater contrast to Eric Dolphy as the lead voice) plays beautifully on "Orange" (for me this is the best realized version of this beautiful song and the masterpiece of this album) and "In a Sentimental Mood". Lonnie Hillyer crackles in contrast to his smoothness. Jaki Byard (so like Mingus in his sense of history) is his usual vituostic and encyclopedic self. The bass playing (particularly the solo "I Got it Bad") is magnificent and, as always, so is Dannie Richmond's drumming. John Handy (subbing for Booker Ervin) contributes a solo on "A Train".
The Orchestral "Meditations" is frantic and reminiscent of other large ensemble works by Mingus (which, sadly, tend to be under-rehearsed). Very powerful, but (not to me) as emotionally effecting as the quintet version from The Great Concert.
This record, The Great Concert, and At Antibes form a triumverate of live documentation that show different facets of Mingus, revealing in different ways the incredible power of his personality coupled with his equally incredible capacity for listening to / responding to the personalities of those in his band. His live records have a very different quality from his (equally magnificent) studio efforts, a spontaneous and flexible relationship to the material that demonstrates a separate exploration of the concept of freedom to the then-prevailing idioms of free jazz. This complexity (fascinating to me) seems to have prevented his getting the acclaim critics lavish on musicians whose products are more uniform and whose work requires less thought to categorize. The aspect that ties Mingus' body of work together is its emotional honesty rather than a particular 'sound' or 'style' and critics and academics don't seem to know how to deal with that.
I hope an affordable edition of this comes out soon.

La chiamavano estate, ma non era quella dolceamara che Bruno Martino e Franco Califano portavano in giro per l'Italia nel `65. Era la caldazza micidiale sulle spalle di Felice Gimondi, mentre saliva le rampe del Mont Ventoux per difendere la sua prima maglia gialla. Era il caldo torrido di Monterey, quando Charlie Mingus mandò a cagare Jimmy Lyons e scese dal palco, lasciando il pubblico sotto il sole a cantare. Ma Charles Mingus, direbbe il mio amico Massimo (un lumbard che ama il jazz perché vi legge stimoli di lotta e di identità), ce l'aveva duro. Se ne andò all'UCLA e dopo una settimana registrò uno dei migliori concerti della storia del jazz: America, sudore, esotismo, rabbia, follia. Questo era Charles Mingus. Di quella registrazione stampò 200 dischi, per anni introvabili. Poi vennero "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady", le note di copertina del suo psicanalista e tutto il resto. Ma la magia di quel concerto resta ineguagliabile. La vera novità di questa estate. Il disco che ce la fa odiare un po' meno.

if only for the fantastic previews of material that would later be re-recorded for the epochal Let My Children Hear Music. based on what one hears on this recording, the extent of Sy Johnson's role on the later date seems to be called into question (at least to this humble listener). great variation on Meditations to boot...

"Mingus at UCLA 1965" is a remarkable document, possibly the most important music release of 2006, providing your criteria extend beyond mere audio quality and musical precision. This was not a concert but a Mingus "workshop," as he insisted on calling such affairs. Mingus wanted the audience to experience the creative process as much as the product. Consequently, to the extent that the recording omits visual information relevant to that process the accompanying notes in the form of Sue Mingus' elegant prose are arguably integral with the music on the two discs.

Mingus had planned to premiere a large body of compositions at the September 1965 Monterey Festival, but his time on stage was limited to under thirty minutes, precluding the performance of most of the new material. A week later, the bassist-leader and his ensemble would perform the complete concert at UCLA. Subsequently, Mingus would obtain the tape made by amateur UCLA sound technicians and press a mere 200 double-LP sets for sale on his own mail-order label. The music has not been released on CD until now.

The listener can't help but notice that Mingus is surprisingly sensitive to his youthful student audience, at one point catching and practically reprimanding himself for using the word "hell" in their presence. It's true that following two false starts on one of the compositions ("Once Upon A Time, There Was A Holding Corporation Called Old America"), he first berates his musicians (the most humorous moment on the recording), then dismisses half the band for their "mental tardiness," sentencing them backstage to get their act together. But the temperamental leader evidences an equal amount of love and respect for his musicians during the program.

As for the music itself, start with Mingus' choice of the instrumentation for his octet. It could be argued that the three trumpet players get in each other's way and, furthermore, do not serve to strengthen the textures of Mingus' bass-led harmonic progressions. Perhaps Julius Watkins' French horn was chosen to cover some of the registers normally assigned to Jimmy Knepper's trombone as well as to afford opportunities for satiric commentary (given the instrument's iconic association with "legit" music). At least the inclusion of Howard Johnson's tuba makes eminent sense, not only because of its undeniable contribution to the Dixieland number ("Muskrat Ramble") but because it permits Mingus to switch to piano without any drop-out in the bass part.

Although it's clear that Mingus isn't happy with the music until the second half, the present listener may have a preference for the music on the first disc, in part because of its superior audio quality. The opening composition, "Meditation On Inner Peace," is a stunning invitation, featuring the leader playing a rich bowed solo in the cello register over an unabated drone tone supplied by tuba. Gradually the mournful musical prayer acquires intensity as the other players make their individual contributions to the surging layered threnody, which reaches a sonic and emotional climax with the addition of drummer Dannie Richmond's percussive thunder.

Despite considerable distortion on the CD, the audience is clearly impressed by trumpeter Hobart Dotson's soloing leading off the second half, and Mingus is so unmistakably pleased that he expresses regret the band did not start there, proclaiming "everything is fine now." The ensemble remains in Mingus's good graces thoughout the third, primarily successful, attempt to perform "Once Upon A Time, There Was A Holding Corporation Called America," during which Mingus is at his manic best, hollering to his old pal, Dannie Richmond, "Love, Dee. It's you and me." Soon the joyous leader is singing along with the music in a piercing falsetto, perhaps to feed the musicians their parts but more likely to express his irrepressible ecstasy over its successful realization. Unfortunately, the singing adds to the considerable audio distortion, directing attention away from the music itself to its effect on its creator.

Some listeners will no doubt dismiss this latest Mingus entry as marginally listenable music obviously recorded by non-professional technicians--perhaps an understandable reaction. But to the extent that Mingus' name and mystique extend beyond his music, continuing to attract and fascinate new listeners, this recording of the enigmatic, volatile composer's UCLA performance could be regarded as an indispensable "document," filling in another piece of the puzzle that is the artist while providing privileged insights into the creative process itself. Altoist Charles McPherson is quoted as saying that learning the music was especially trying as the composer not only denied the musicians written parts but changed his mind every day. Mingus represents not merely the burden of artistic genius but the composing process in each of us writ large. Far from being a megalomaniac or fixed ego, he's the insecure child persistently, valiantly, heroically working to assemble a genuine human identity, which for any of us must necessarily be a work in process. Or, as his widow Sue quotes him, "I'm trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it's difficult is because I'm changing all the time."

Last week was the 40th anniversary of a seminal event in jazz history. On September 25, 1965, composer/bassist/pianist Charles Mingus and his octet lumbered into a small auditorium on the UCLA campus to perform one of the open workshops Mingus became famous for. It was an event that allowed a select audience to watch a jazz master at work, struggling to make sense of the music in his head and lay a foundation for his group to interpret that music.

Charles Mingus At UCLA 1965 is a no holds barred, unapologetic look at Mingus' genius; the frustration, anger and ultimate exaltation he felt while his music took shape. Originally released as an LP in 1967, Mingus was only able to press 200 of the double album set before running out of money. A few years later, Mingus discovered the masters had been destroyed when Capitol Records cleaned out their vaults. This CD set, put out by Mingus' widow on her Sue Mingus Music label, is a testament to the contentious style her husband employed to re-create the art that burnished his soul.

To say this album is brilliant doesn't do it justice. There aren't enough superlatives in the English language to describe the effect this album will have on any Mingus or jazz aficionado. Mingus' sterling backup band on this album includes Hobart Dotson on and Lonnie Hillyer on trumpets; Jimmy Owens on flugelhorn and trumpet, Charles McPherson on alto saxophone, Julius Watkins on French horn, Howard Johnson on tuba, and Dannie Richmond on drums are all impeccable, even though after a few false starts on "Once Upon A Time, There Was A Holding Corporation Called Old America" Mingus dismisses Dotson, Owens, Watkins and Johnson "to the back room to figure this thing out." It's not malicious--some of the compositions were so raw at the time of this concert its surprising there weren't more false starts then there were. Although some may not appreciate the rough edginess of the songs Mingus workshops, these unpolished gems give listeners the opportunity to explore with Mingus as the compositions ascend from drafts to a final product that has Mingus shouting in joyful acknowledgement of completion. It's a searing experience.

As a quartet, Mingus, Hillyer, McPherson and Richmond do a shattering version of "Ode To Bird and Dizzy", and the full octet shines on "They Trespass the Land of the Sacred Sioux", "The Arts of Tatum and Freddy Webster", "Muskrat Ramble", and "Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid Too". The album ends with "Don't Let It Happen Here", a Mingus poem which is a vanguard in response to current political turmoil.

Charles Mingus was years ahead of his time, constantly pushing the boundaries of jazz to its furthest extremes. Nearly thirty years after his death, musicians are still untangling Mingus' complex compositions, adding their own bents to his musical vision. The re-released document of the 1965 UCLA workshop further enhances Mingus' vision and will keep new composers busy for a long time trying to capture his magic in their own work.

We should all thank Sue Mingus for releasing the gems from the Mingus vault, and this one is a keeper. I gather from the chat that Mingus had been scheduled top play at the Moneterey Festival, but that his set got cut short. So he unrolls the whole thing here at UCLA. As always with Mingus there is a political and social subtext to the performance and in this case that reaches a very poignant peak with the closing "Don't Let It Happen Here." Before you get there though, and particularly on the first disc, there is a wild ride that seems completely out of control. You have Mingus introducing and backing up on comments as he goes along, there are false starts and deconstructed endings that leave you wondering what in the name of whoever is going on. The music is complex and difficult, and yet in the midst of whatever cataclysm is busrting, somehow the blues or swing breakout. It is an unbelievable ride. The focus increases on the second disc, but make no mistake about it, the compositions freely swing from free cacaphony to brilliant standard big band with a restless energy that gathers you in.
This aint your Grandad's big band.
As I said, we owe Sue Mingus a huge debt of gratitude. Mingus was one of a kind, and especially live, as his enthusiastic howls in the course of "Once Upon a Time..." demonstrate. This is bold, adventurous and as out there as Miles, Trane and the Ornette from this volatile period.

Classic Mingus. Recommended for jazz fans and those new to the genre. If you're starting a jazz collection, put this album high on the list.

An essential part of jazz history. The compositions and playing of this group, especially the presence of tenor Booker Ervin, are bound to remain one of the most important contributions to the jazz idiom.

This is the CD you should buy if you're new to Mingus. It came out during a highly creative period in his life, and contains some of his most memorable compostions. Ah Um may not be his most ambitious album or his best, but it is one of his most well rounded and diverse, showing many of the styles, quirks and facets that make Charles Mingus one of the top jazz composers of all time. And it's all laid out in easily digestable morsels, ie some of the songs were edited to make them more concise and able to fit on vinyl. Don't worry, the edits are not noticable. Is it bop? Is it post bop? Is it swing? Well, yes and no. Mingus looks not only to big bands, bebop, and hard bop circa 1959, but also gospel, spirituals, pre-jazz and the blues for inspiration. Ah Um is as diverse and eclectic as it is enjoyable. It points the way to the many directions Mingus was exploring or would explore in his later career. Ah Um is a wonderful look into the music of a great mind and is by turns angry, sad, tender, sarcastic, joyful and damn good. You can feel the passion.

you get a breath of fresh air. its like opening the windows for the first time after a long winter. you've experienced the same thing maybe before but it just feels new.
thats what this disc is to me. i'm not gonna get into technical stuff because i cant. i'll say this tho. in my long ago past i was a horn player. this disc makes me remember exactly what that means. i hear things in here i long ago had forgotten existed in music theory. listening to this after thinking of modern day pop is like comparing picasso to a childs chalk drawing on the sidewalk.

This is Charles Mingus' best and most musically accessible alsbum. Recorded in 1959, it is soul stirring, great hard bebop with some fantastic sax playing by the great Booker Ervin. If you are into jazz, then this is an essential addition to your collection. I can never get tired of hearing this CD.