Charles Mingus Music

Produced by Bob Thiele on Impulse! Records, 1963's 'Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus' is an interesting little record of some of Mingus's previously recorded tracks combined with a 10 piece band, as well as some new material. Collectors of Mingus material will no doubt recognize some of the tracks here. For instance, "Theme for Lester Young" is also "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on 'Mingus Ah Um', "II B.S." is also "Haitian Fight Song" from 'The Clown', and "Hora Decubitus" is also "E's Flat Ah's Flat Too" from 'Blues & Roots'. This does not take away from the sheer brilliance of the recording, though, as Mingus adds a certain amount of soul and feeling to these tracks which I believe has been lacking in the past. The best example here is "Hora Decubitus" which swings much harder than its predecessor.

The band on this record is made up largely of session musicians as well as some Mingus regulars such as Booker Ervin (tenor sax), Dannie Richmond (drums), and Jaki Byard (piano). The legendary Eric Dolphy also makes contributions on flute and alto sax. On MingusX5, Mingus shows the listener his impressive ability to compose pieces with specific musicians in mind and can turn no-name session guys into legends, albeit just for sixty minutes. Because of such a large ensemble, Mingus adds texture to the music by creating layers of music. There is so much going on, musically speaking on this record, and these are the elements that really set Mingus apart from other jazz greats of the 20th century.

In addition to some of the older material mentioned above, there is also a brilliant cover of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" as well as a bonus track, "Freedom" which also appears on the 'Epitaph' record. This is one of those interesting anti-racism Mingus pieces with a vocal track from Charlie himself. "Freedom" swings so hard, you will unwittingly jump up and dance to the point of embarrassing yourself in front of all your friends! Trumpeters Eddie Preston and Richard Williams are on fire, and just for this piece alone I would recommend this LP to any casual Mingus fan. It is also a great place to start for someone who is not familiar with any of Mingus's work.

I bought this CD a couple of months ago, and I've listened to it dozens of times since!!! And never get tired of it. Mingus music, and this album specially, has the quality of grow and grow after repeated listenings. The music is always changing, offering diferent aspects, different moods, and even after exhaustive listening one founds himself discovering new things.

It is very difficult to say which is the "best" album of Charles Mingus, since all his discography is extraordinarily consistent, but this one ranks among the best, for sure!.

If you are a newcomer to the Mingus' Universe, this album is a good starting point, because is a work of great quality, but maybe more acccesible than other records of his extense discography. It also offers a good and complete overview of the complex landscape of Mingus as a bandleader, a bass player, and a composer.

And if you are not a newcomer, buy this album NOW!!

This is the predecessor to the remix album, as most of the songs are little more than old classics given a makeover: "Theme for Lester Young" is pretty close to "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"; "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" is "Better Git It In Your Soul" with sans the grunts and with a revised coda; "II B.S." is a shortened "Haitian Fight Song"; "Mood Indigo" was previously released on Mingus Dynasty. It's hard to recommend this album as highly as I do some of the surrounding works, since no matter how good these remakes are, they're still just remakes - I'd much rather hear an album full of mostly new songs from Mingus than hear him resting on his laurels, so to speak. And other than "Mood Indigo", Mingus' previous recordings of these songs are much better. On top of that, "I X Love" is tough to recommend. There's no way this can stand in the same room as indispensable '60s albums like Oh Yeah or The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, but it'll do.

Just a fine collection of work by the best jazz bass player ever.

1963's "Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus" is an anomoly in Charles Mingus' catalog-- the last time he'd enter the studio for nearly eight years, it serves of sorts as a bookend to the period of 1956-1964, wherein Mingus recorded masterpiece after masterpiece-- "Pithecanthropus Erectus" for Atlantic, "Tijuana Moods for RCA, "Mingus Ah Um" for Columbia, "Pre-Bird" for Mercury, "Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus" for Candid and "THe Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" were all recorded in this time, as were at least a dozen other great albums. For this one, Mingus chose to revisit his old material, rerecording several pieces from older records along with one new song ("Celia").

For these performances, Mingus used eleven pieces-- two of the songs were recorded during the 'Black Saint' sessions and feature alto saxaphonists Charles Mariano, while the remainder of the record was recorded in late 1963 with an extension of Mingus' working band, including Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin (although curiously, drummer Dannie Richmond is absent from these sessions).

The material is all performed quite well, but nothing seems to reach quite the level of the originals. Admittedly, "Celia" is a lovely piece, "I X Love" (a rewrite of part of "Open Letter to Duke") features unnervingly brilliant playing from Mariano, and "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" is always a blast, but it feels like a bookend, not like an album, particularly after a monster like "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady".

Produced by Bob Thiele on Impulse! Records, 1963's 'Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus' is an interesting little record of some of Mingus's previously recorded tracks combined with a 10 piece band, as well as some new material. Collectors of Mingus material will no doubt recognize some of the tracks here. For instance, "Theme for Lester Young" is also "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on 'Mingus Ah Um', "II B.S." is also "Haitian Fight Song" from 'The Clown', and "Hora Decubitus" is also "E's Flat Ah's Flat Too" from 'Blues & Roots'. This does not take away from the sheer brilliance of the recording, though, as Mingus adds a certain amount of soul and feeling to these tracks which I believe has been lacking in the past. The best example here is "Hora Decubitus" which swings much harder than its predecessor.

The band on this record is made up largely of session musicians as well as some Mingus regulars such as Booker Ervin (tenor sax), Dannie Richmond (drums), and Jaki Byard (piano). The legendary Eric Dolphy also makes contributions on flute and alto sax. On MingusX5, Mingus shows the listener his impressive ability to compose pieces with specific musicians in mind and can turn no-name session guys into legends, albeit just for sixty minutes. Because of such a large ensemble, Mingus adds texture to the music by creating layers of music. There is so much going on, musically speaking on this record, and these are the elements that really set Mingus apart from other jazz greats of the 20th century.

In addition to some of the older material mentioned above, there is also a brilliant cover of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" as well as a bonus track, "Freedom" which also appears on the 'Epitaph' record. This is one of those interesting anti-racism Mingus pieces with a vocal track from Charlie himself. "Freedom" swings so hard, you will unwittingly jump up and dance to the point of embarrassing yourself in front of all your friends! Trumpeters Eddie Preston and Richard Williams are on fire, and just for this piece alone I would recommend this LP to any casual Mingus fan. It is also a great place to start for someone who is not familiar with any of Mingus's work.

I bought this CD a couple of months ago, and I've listened to it dozens of times since!!! And never get tired of it. Mingus music, and this album specially, has the quality of grow and grow after repeated listenings. The music is always changing, offering diferent aspects, different moods, and even after exhaustive listening one founds himself discovering new things.

It is very difficult to say which is the "best" album of Charles Mingus, since all his discography is extraordinarily consistent, but this one ranks among the best, for sure!.

If you are a newcomer to the Mingus' Universe, this album is a good starting point, because is a work of great quality, but maybe more acccesible than other records of his extense discography. It also offers a good and complete overview of the complex landscape of Mingus as a bandleader, a bass player, and a composer.

And if you are not a newcomer, buy this album NOW!!

This is the predecessor to the remix album, as most of the songs are little more than old classics given a makeover: "Theme for Lester Young" is pretty close to "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"; "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" is "Better Git It In Your Soul" with sans the grunts and with a revised coda; "II B.S." is a shortened "Haitian Fight Song"; "Mood Indigo" was previously released on Mingus Dynasty. It's hard to recommend this album as highly as I do some of the surrounding works, since no matter how good these remakes are, they're still just remakes - I'd much rather hear an album full of mostly new songs from Mingus than hear him resting on his laurels, so to speak. And other than "Mood Indigo", Mingus' previous recordings of these songs are much better. On top of that, "I X Love" is tough to recommend. There's no way this can stand in the same room as indispensable '60s albums like Oh Yeah or The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, but it'll do.

Just a fine collection of work by the best jazz bass player ever.

1963's "Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus" is an anomoly in Charles Mingus' catalog-- the last time he'd enter the studio for nearly eight years, it serves of sorts as a bookend to the period of 1956-1964, wherein Mingus recorded masterpiece after masterpiece-- "Pithecanthropus Erectus" for Atlantic, "Tijuana Moods for RCA, "Mingus Ah Um" for Columbia, "Pre-Bird" for Mercury, "Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus" for Candid and "THe Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" were all recorded in this time, as were at least a dozen other great albums. For this one, Mingus chose to revisit his old material, rerecording several pieces from older records along with one new song ("Celia").

For these performances, Mingus used eleven pieces-- two of the songs were recorded during the 'Black Saint' sessions and feature alto saxaphonists Charles Mariano, while the remainder of the record was recorded in late 1963 with an extension of Mingus' working band, including Eric Dolphy and Booker Ervin (although curiously, drummer Dannie Richmond is absent from these sessions).

The material is all performed quite well, but nothing seems to reach quite the level of the originals. Admittedly, "Celia" is a lovely piece, "I X Love" (a rewrite of part of "Open Letter to Duke") features unnervingly brilliant playing from Mariano, and "Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul" is always a blast, but it feels like a bookend, not like an album, particularly after a monster like "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady".

Charles Mingus is a True Giant In Jazz&Music in General.The Group Sounded Fantastic.The Timing&Arrangements are Really Incredible.Mingus has so Many Great Albums That it's Mind-Blowing.His Music is Timeless.

Hm... not bad... More or less decent, not really one to rush out and get, though. Mingus plays with structure on the classical/bebop/classical "Canon", and it's a good time all around; "Opus 4" is pretty solid retro-bebop with an eccentric melody that bears the Mingus stamp all over it; "Newcomer" is another very cool fusion of Latin and jazz; and "Opus 3" recalls the glory days of his insane, unexpected tempo-shifting on albums like Mingus Ah Um, Oh Yeah, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. Some of my favorite Mingus songs are like that, and "Opus 3" certainly is one of my favorite Mingus songs. It's not perfect, though: sometimes Mingus gets carried away in the retro-bebop mode ("Wee") - I certainly like bebop if it's done well, but "Wee" is not done well. It's one of the few bebop songs I'd classify as "uneventful" or "boring". And that's the best of the bad songs, too, hideous as it may be. The low is the histrionic "Moves", which for whatever reason has a totally cheesy Frank Sinatra parody vocal (from its composer), or else "Flowers for a Lady", which sets the cheese factor to "intolerable" and keeps it there for the whole song. Lactose intolerant? Stay away from that one! So some of it is very cool, and some of it is Mingus totally losing his grip and making a fool of himself. What to say about it? But if you must have it, "Opus 3" will make you glad you bought it, that's for sure. Hold on, there's something missing here... *disses the Eagles* Ah, there we go. Now everyone can get that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Out of great loyalty to Mingus I saw this band play several times. He was old and sick then, heavily medicated, and beginning to die. To me, it's an embarassment to the world that he hadn't made enough money by then to retire instead of having to go out on the road with these two clowns. The man who made "Great Concert" with Eric Dolphy and Jaki Byard didn't need Adams and Pullen to show him a "new" direction. The last group of records (this one and the "Changes") were probably humiliating for him. When a great composer doesn't write all the music on his own record something is gone awry. I bought them anyway so he'd get the money, but I never could listen to them.

This is another masterpiece from a jazz genius who was tragically under-appreciated in his lifetime. With the talented help of pianist Don Pullen and Saxophonist George Adams, he expands the pallet of modern jazz to embrace dissonances and make them sound as naturally a part of the music as the most straight-forward melody.

Until now, I have hesitated reviewing JAZZ cds,even though I am an avid JAZZ fan.(LONG story!). There are also TOO MANY Mingus cds I would love to talk about,as I have been an passionate enthusiast of Mingusmusics since 1970. MINGUS MOVES, however, has a special place in my heart. It has one of my favorite lineups that he had created musics with.(and you Mingus followers KNOW who were luminaries in prior aggregations). Eric Dolphy not withstanding, George Adams and Don Pullen are 2 of the more unique voices in Jazz, both steeped heavily in tradition, but had their restless hearts always seeking new horizons.Underrated,both had their favorite musical gestures-Pullen's piano glissandos and ferocious "cluster note " solo technique. George Adams (much like Grant Green) was not a note-crazy technician, but offered a unique style of full toned Texas tenor,offering lines alternating honey sweet with avant guard squalls of "Tenor temor" , a sort of "quasi- John Gilmore / Marshall Allen approach"(for those conversant in "SUN RA, does that sound reasonable?") This cd features the usual high quality Mingus compositions, along with 1 piece each from Adams and Pullen. Also, one of the cd's highlights, "WEE",is credited to Sy Johnson. This composition's opening "lament" sequence then erupts into a Mingus trademark "funk" groove,(in the "Mingus tradition",that is). The Mingus compositions are quite regal, and the quintette(Ronald Hampton rounds out the group on trumpet)sounds like a larger aggregation. The arrangements are impeccable. "Moves" features vocals , very elegant and hauntingly melancholy, a beautiful duet . "Flowers for a Lady" is a partial nod to bossanova,with the jazz release, similar to Riot in Cell Block #9 , from the "Mingus Changes" recording.(Same group basically, another great cd- there's 2 of 'em, "inventively" called "Changes 1" & "Changes 2"). WOW, it is tough to write about Jazz musics, to be careful to use colloquial imagery, and not fall into technical or quasi-technical musical jargon! Sooooooooo, I hope I have described this cd well enough to implore you to "check it out", YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED. Viva Mingus,your vibrations echo through the universe forever. TIMELESS!

Highly recommended 1974 date from Mingus, with his quintet including George Adams, Don Pullen, Jack Walrath, and of course Dannie Richmond. If it's possible, try to locate the 1993 reissue of this album from Rhino--it's the only version that includes the bonus tracks "Big Alice" and "The Call." These are not to be found on the subsequent reissues from 32 or Collectables, and certainly are a welcome addition.

I can only listen to this album maybe once a year. The melodies, the chords, the feelings it invokes are so beautiful, so haunting that when I listen to this I can't get the sounds out of my head for a couple of days. I usually have absolutely no clue what to put on the turntable (I have the vinyl reissue from 1982, which regrettably doesn't have all the songs on this CD) after I've listened to this, so I sit in the dark, unable to put on the light and examine the shelves.

Mingus was certainly one of the greatest jazz bassists ever, a notable composer and bandleader, but I think this album, his piano playing, really highlights his musical genius. Most instruments in jazz don't really lend themselves to solo performance. The dynamic range of the piano does, however, and here you can hear Mingus' compositional ideas in an intimate setting in their full complexity, and in their barest forms at the same time.

I purchased this CD one week ago and already I've listened to it countless times. Although I'm not a pianist and can't comment on the technical aspects of Mingus' playing as others have, I'm impressed with his improvisational skills. Its amazing to me that he was able to create this music spontaneously and on piano, which was not his primary instrument. I saw a documentary on Mingus years ago which focused on his gruff and often angry character, but as with all geniuses he was not one-dimensional. This CD captures Mingus' sensitive side. The introspective nature of his playing on songs like "Old Portrait" (which the liner notes state he wrote about his divorce from his first wife) really caught my ear. The intimate and reflective tone of this music has made this CD an instant favorite of mine, and I can already tell that this is a disc I will be playing over and over for years. I think pianists may be more critical of the manner in which Mingus played and the unorthodox chord voicings he used on this recording, but I think that if the music is listened to and absorbed without that in mind it can be appreciated for what it is: a beautiful expression from a creative genius. If you love solo piano it doesn't get any better than this.

Spinning fantastic spontaneous solo piano compositions on the fly, just as he does with his world-famous, award-winning bass technique and with his amazing trios, small groups, and his large orchestras, the late Charles Mingus amazes, again and again. Mingus, alone with the tape running and his mind wide open to ideas that are instantly transmuted into music by his fingers. Indeed, Mingus says his breakthrough on bass violin came when he began to transfer his formidable piano technique to the bass fingerboard. And he became, arguably, the best bassist in jazz.

Charles Mingus was once the bassist for the legendary pianist Art Tatum, who actually taught Mingus advanced piano chords and technique. Small wonder Mingus displays such facility and two-handed technique. We've heard his amazing piano technique on the recording of "Smooch" (off the highly recommended Miles Davis CD "Blue Haze") and on his scorching big band masterwork "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady": also highly recommended.

Many of these compositions are very familiar to the long-time fans of this amazing musician: "Myself, When I Am Real"," Portrait", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress...", "Meditation for Moses" (which morphed into the landmark Monterey Jazz Fest performance of "Meditations on Integration" with a thematic makeover), and more are all displayed in fuller form by his groundbreaking jazz bands, using different song titles. But these performances are fully satisfying in themselves. And his technique will amaze any jazz fan who hasn't heard his previous work, as well as any piano fans, with his dense chords and quick, quirky finger runs. "I Can't Get Started" and "Body and Soul" are personalized by Mingus into his own versions.

The Pieces D'resistance are the 8 minute "Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems, and Folklore" which is a dazzling display of different themes and Mingusian pianism; and the spellibinding 7 minute piano solo of "Myself, When I Am Real", which became the amazing "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" on the CD "Let My Children Hear Music", where his piano solo here was scripted, note for note, into a big band performance that ranks among his best ever. So if you heard "Adagio...", now you know where it came from. Mesmerizing!

If you like solo jazz piano, you'll love "Mingus Plays Piano". Enjoy!! Four Stars!!

It's an interesting album in many ways, but in the end Mingus' band albums are much more enduring. I know I'd always rather hear the "Myself When I am Real" on 'Let My Children Hear Music', much more effective with a larger band part of the action. As for Mingus technical skills as a solo pianist, he was OK, no better.

1963 was quite a year for Charles Mingus. He'd already recorded what may be his masterwork in "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" when he returned to the studio to record in a rather unique manner-- as a solo pianist. The result is the stunning and often achingly beautiful "Mingus Plays Piano: Spontaneous Compositions and Improvisations".

Mingus, for someone known as a bassist, is quite a pianist-- his style is heavily indebted to Ellington, but there's also shades of Monk and Powell in his playing. More importantly, though, it's clear Mingus composed at the piano, as the voicings unique to his music are extraordinarily clear on this recording. And it's also clear that had he chosen this path, he'd've been a pianist of some repute.

The performances are largely pretty laid back, Mingus is in a pretty meditative and bluesy mood-- he tackles a few standards, some of his own compositions, and improvisations on brief themes within his music. The best of the material is delicate and lovely ("Myself When I Am Real"), energetic but not aggressive ("Body and Soul") or just stunning ("Orange Was the Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues"). And while it lacks much of the bite, sarcasm, and aggressivenes of some of Mingus' better work, it is in its own way, a stunning album. Highly recommended.

I can only listen to this album maybe once a year. The melodies, the chords, the feelings it invokes are so beautiful, so haunting that when I listen to this I can't get the sounds out of my head for a couple of days. I usually have absolutely no clue what to put on the turntable (I have the vinyl reissue from 1982, which regrettably doesn't have all the songs on this CD) after I've listened to this, so I sit in the dark, unable to put on the light and examine the shelves.

Mingus was certainly one of the greatest jazz bassists ever, a notable composer and bandleader, but I think this album, his piano playing, really highlights his musical genius. Most instruments in jazz don't really lend themselves to solo performance. The dynamic range of the piano does, however, and here you can hear Mingus' compositional ideas in an intimate setting in their full complexity, and in their barest forms at the same time.

I purchased this CD one week ago and already I've listened to it countless times. Although I'm not a pianist and can't comment on the technical aspects of Mingus' playing as others have, I'm impressed with his improvisational skills. Its amazing to me that he was able to create this music spontaneously and on piano, which was not his primary instrument. I saw a documentary on Mingus years ago which focused on his gruff and often angry character, but as with all geniuses he was not one-dimensional. This CD captures Mingus' sensitive side. The introspective nature of his playing on songs like "Old Portrait" (which the liner notes state he wrote about his divorce from his first wife) really caught my ear. The intimate and reflective tone of this music has made this CD an instant favorite of mine, and I can already tell that this is a disc I will be playing over and over for years. I think pianists may be more critical of the manner in which Mingus played and the unorthodox chord voicings he used on this recording, but I think that if the music is listened to and absorbed without that in mind it can be appreciated for what it is: a beautiful expression from a creative genius. If you love solo piano it doesn't get any better than this.

Spinning fantastic spontaneous solo piano compositions on the fly, just as he does with his world-famous, award-winning bass technique and with his amazing trios, small groups, and his large orchestras, the late Charles Mingus amazes, again and again. Mingus, alone with the tape running and his mind wide open to ideas that are instantly transmuted into music by his fingers. Indeed, Mingus says his breakthrough on bass violin came when he began to transfer his formidable piano technique to the bass fingerboard. And he became, arguably, the best bassist in jazz.

Charles Mingus was once the bassist for the legendary pianist Art Tatum, who actually taught Mingus advanced piano chords and technique. Small wonder Mingus displays such facility and two-handed technique. We've heard his amazing piano technique on the recording of "Smooch" (off the highly recommended Miles Davis CD "Blue Haze") and on his scorching big band masterwork "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady": also highly recommended.

Many of these compositions are very familiar to the long-time fans of this amazing musician: "Myself, When I Am Real"," Portrait", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress...", "Meditation for Moses" (which morphed into the landmark Monterey Jazz Fest performance of "Meditations on Integration" with a thematic makeover), and more are all displayed in fuller form by his groundbreaking jazz bands, using different song titles. But these performances are fully satisfying in themselves. And his technique will amaze any jazz fan who hasn't heard his previous work, as well as any piano fans, with his dense chords and quick, quirky finger runs. "I Can't Get Started" and "Body and Soul" are personalized by Mingus into his own versions.

The Pieces D'resistance are the 8 minute "Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems, and Folklore" which is a dazzling display of different themes and Mingusian pianism; and the spellibinding 7 minute piano solo of "Myself, When I Am Real", which became the amazing "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" on the CD "Let My Children Hear Music", where his piano solo here was scripted, note for note, into a big band performance that ranks among his best ever. So if you heard "Adagio...", now you know where it came from. Mesmerizing!

If you like solo jazz piano, you'll love "Mingus Plays Piano". Enjoy!! Four Stars!!

It's an interesting album in many ways, but in the end Mingus' band albums are much more enduring. I know I'd always rather hear the "Myself When I am Real" on 'Let My Children Hear Music', much more effective with a larger band part of the action. As for Mingus technical skills as a solo pianist, he was OK, no better.

1963 was quite a year for Charles Mingus. He'd already recorded what may be his masterwork in "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" when he returned to the studio to record in a rather unique manner-- as a solo pianist. The result is the stunning and often achingly beautiful "Mingus Plays Piano: Spontaneous Compositions and Improvisations".

Mingus, for someone known as a bassist, is quite a pianist-- his style is heavily indebted to Ellington, but there's also shades of Monk and Powell in his playing. More importantly, though, it's clear Mingus composed at the piano, as the voicings unique to his music are extraordinarily clear on this recording. And it's also clear that had he chosen this path, he'd've been a pianist of some repute.

The performances are largely pretty laid back, Mingus is in a pretty meditative and bluesy mood-- he tackles a few standards, some of his own compositions, and improvisations on brief themes within his music. The best of the material is delicate and lovely ("Myself When I Am Real"), energetic but not aggressive ("Body and Soul") or just stunning ("Orange Was the Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues"). And while it lacks much of the bite, sarcasm, and aggressivenes of some of Mingus' better work, it is in its own way, a stunning album. Highly recommended.

I can only listen to this album maybe once a year. The melodies, the chords, the feelings it invokes are so beautiful, so haunting that when I listen to this I can't get the sounds out of my head for a couple of days. I usually have absolutely no clue what to put on the turntable (I have the vinyl reissue from 1982, which regrettably doesn't have all the songs on this CD) after I've listened to this, so I sit in the dark, unable to put on the light and examine the shelves.

Mingus was certainly one of the greatest jazz bassists ever, a notable composer and bandleader, but I think this album, his piano playing, really highlights his musical genius. Most instruments in jazz don't really lend themselves to solo performance. The dynamic range of the piano does, however, and here you can hear Mingus' compositional ideas in an intimate setting in their full complexity, and in their barest forms at the same time.

I purchased this CD one week ago and already I've listened to it countless times. Although I'm not a pianist and can't comment on the technical aspects of Mingus' playing as others have, I'm impressed with his improvisational skills. Its amazing to me that he was able to create this music spontaneously and on piano, which was not his primary instrument. I saw a documentary on Mingus years ago which focused on his gruff and often angry character, but as with all geniuses he was not one-dimensional. This CD captures Mingus' sensitive side. The introspective nature of his playing on songs like "Old Portrait" (which the liner notes state he wrote about his divorce from his first wife) really caught my ear. The intimate and reflective tone of this music has made this CD an instant favorite of mine, and I can already tell that this is a disc I will be playing over and over for years. I think pianists may be more critical of the manner in which Mingus played and the unorthodox chord voicings he used on this recording, but I think that if the music is listened to and absorbed without that in mind it can be appreciated for what it is: a beautiful expression from a creative genius. If you love solo piano it doesn't get any better than this.

Spinning fantastic spontaneous solo piano compositions on the fly, just as he does with his world-famous, award-winning bass technique and with his amazing trios, small groups, and his large orchestras, the late Charles Mingus amazes, again and again. Mingus, alone with the tape running and his mind wide open to ideas that are instantly transmuted into music by his fingers. Indeed, Mingus says his breakthrough on bass violin came when he began to transfer his formidable piano technique to the bass fingerboard. And he became, arguably, the best bassist in jazz.

Charles Mingus was once the bassist for the legendary pianist Art Tatum, who actually taught Mingus advanced piano chords and technique. Small wonder Mingus displays such facility and two-handed technique. We've heard his amazing piano technique on the recording of "Smooch" (off the highly recommended Miles Davis CD "Blue Haze") and on his scorching big band masterwork "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady": also highly recommended.

Many of these compositions are very familiar to the long-time fans of this amazing musician: "Myself, When I Am Real"," Portrait", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress...", "Meditation for Moses" (which morphed into the landmark Monterey Jazz Fest performance of "Meditations on Integration" with a thematic makeover), and more are all displayed in fuller form by his groundbreaking jazz bands, using different song titles. But these performances are fully satisfying in themselves. And his technique will amaze any jazz fan who hasn't heard his previous work, as well as any piano fans, with his dense chords and quick, quirky finger runs. "I Can't Get Started" and "Body and Soul" are personalized by Mingus into his own versions.

The Pieces D'resistance are the 8 minute "Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems, and Folklore" which is a dazzling display of different themes and Mingusian pianism; and the spellibinding 7 minute piano solo of "Myself, When I Am Real", which became the amazing "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" on the CD "Let My Children Hear Music", where his piano solo here was scripted, note for note, into a big band performance that ranks among his best ever. So if you heard "Adagio...", now you know where it came from. Mesmerizing!

If you like solo jazz piano, you'll love "Mingus Plays Piano". Enjoy!! Four Stars!!

It's an interesting album in many ways, but in the end Mingus' band albums are much more enduring. I know I'd always rather hear the "Myself When I am Real" on 'Let My Children Hear Music', much more effective with a larger band part of the action. As for Mingus technical skills as a solo pianist, he was OK, no better.

1963 was quite a year for Charles Mingus. He'd already recorded what may be his masterwork in "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" when he returned to the studio to record in a rather unique manner-- as a solo pianist. The result is the stunning and often achingly beautiful "Mingus Plays Piano: Spontaneous Compositions and Improvisations".

Mingus, for someone known as a bassist, is quite a pianist-- his style is heavily indebted to Ellington, but there's also shades of Monk and Powell in his playing. More importantly, though, it's clear Mingus composed at the piano, as the voicings unique to his music are extraordinarily clear on this recording. And it's also clear that had he chosen this path, he'd've been a pianist of some repute.

The performances are largely pretty laid back, Mingus is in a pretty meditative and bluesy mood-- he tackles a few standards, some of his own compositions, and improvisations on brief themes within his music. The best of the material is delicate and lovely ("Myself When I Am Real"), energetic but not aggressive ("Body and Soul") or just stunning ("Orange Was the Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues"). And while it lacks much of the bite, sarcasm, and aggressivenes of some of Mingus' better work, it is in its own way, a stunning album. Highly recommended.