Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus

ASIN: B00004Z3R3

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Bassist-composer Charles Mingus had a reputation for volatile creativity and the ability to press his sidemen to their limits. That said, there's precious little in the Mingus canon that reaches the levels of intensity and unfettered invention of this extraordinary quartet session from November 1960. Mingus and saxophonist Eric Dolphy were clearly at creative peaks. Mingus's open forms facilitate Dolphy's freedom, and Dolphy's virtuosity and vocal expressiveness (laughing, whinnying, crying, shrieking) on alto and bass clarinet lend Mingus the greatest solo voice his music ever enjoyed. They push the principle of musical dialogue to the point where speech seems about to break out on "Folk Forms No. 1" and in the bass-bass clarinet chatter and grieving of "What Love."

In a way, speech does break out. "Original Faubus Fables," previously recorded as "Fables of Faubus" on Mingus Ah Um, gets the lyrics earlier denied it by Columbia Records. Mingus and drummer Dannie Richmond damn Arkansas's notoriously racist governor, with the bassist calling out, "Why is he so sick and ridiculous, Dannie?" Richmond and trumpeter Ted Curson are excellent players and the sheer tumult carries them to the performances of their careers. Mingus's writing often uses tension-building repeated figures, and Dolphy and Curson virtually function as reed and brass sections at times. It contributes to the illusion of a much larger group, a cauldron of unspoken pain and fresh energies that seems almost too much for any quartet to deliver.

A fifth performance from the session, an extended-band feature for Dolphy's alto on Fats Waller's "Stormy Weather," has never been included on a CD with the rest of the session. Well worth seeking out, it currently appears on Candid Dolphy. --Stuart Broomer

Tracks:

Folk Forms, No.1
Original Faubus Fables
What Love
All The Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother

Amazon.com

Bassist-composer Charles Mingus had a reputation for volatile creativity and the ability to press his sidemen to their limits. That said, there's precious little in the Mingus canon that reaches the levels of intensity and unfettered invention of this extraordinary quartet session from November 1960. Mingus and saxophonist Eric Dolphy were clearly at creative peaks. Mingus's open forms facilitate Dolphy's freedom, and Dolphy's virtuosity and vocal expressiveness (laughing, whinnying, crying, shrieking) on alto and bass clarinet lend Mingus the greatest solo voice his music ever enjoyed. They push the principle of musical dialogue to the point where speech seems about to break out on "Folk Forms No. 1" and in the bass-bass clarinet chatter and grieving of "What Love."

In a way, speech does break out. "Original Faubus Fables," previously recorded as "Fables of Faubus" on Mingus Ah Um, gets the lyrics earlier denied it by Columbia Records. Mingus and drummer Dannie Richmond damn Arkansas's notoriously racist governor, with the bassist calling out, "Why is he so sick and ridiculous, Dannie?" Richmond and trumpeter Ted Curson are excellent players and the sheer tumult carries them to the performances of their careers. Mingus's writing often uses tension-building repeated figures, and Dolphy and Curson virtually function as reed and brass sections at times. It contributes to the illusion of a much larger group, a cauldron of unspoken pain and fresh energies that seems almost too much for any quartet to deliver.

Customer Reviews:

Mingus Upfront.......2006-06-30

Charles Mingus during his lifetime bristled at his music being labeled "free jazz". However, his unique style and changes in tonality obviously were highly influential on later free jazz musicians. Also taking the influence of the big band sound and making it dissonant certainly was noted by later musicians. What put me off from listening to this cd at first is the fact that Mingus speaks during some of the pieces. However, his "introduction" to the pieces, as if an audience were there is a hilarious parody of live jazz albums where the musicians feels like they have to "explain" each piece. Also his take on racism, "Original Fauvus Fables" was powerful for its time. Spoken word over free jazz albums became more common after this, eventually culminating in the Last Poets, a proto-rap group. Charles Mingus' band with Eric Dolphy was not only his best group, it is one of the greatest jazz groups of all time. It still sounds contemporary and is jolting, not aimless jams but a fully focused sucker punch.

No Applause you might disturb the band!.......2006-01-19

Charles Mingus - truly one of a kind...This album is one of his best as far as improvisation goes..Eric Dolphy and Ted Curson are on fire! Mingus also delivers some inspired playing..and the general sound of the group is very free..which contrasts nicely with Mingus' airtight compositional style. I would also like to recommend his album titled 'Mingus' also on the candid label (in fact all of Mingus' work during this period is phenomenal).

Great performances, poor sound.......2003-09-23

Although the sound on this CD is less than great, to give it less than 5 stars would be a crime. The performances here are fantastic. At the start of the CD, Mingus tells the audience not to talk, clap, ring the cash register, or rattle the ice in their glasses. The first time I heard this intro, I laughed. Now I realize that Mingus was setting the stage for a band whose utter and complete concentration was essential for their performance. Any outside intrusion could throw them off. The music ranges from simple and beautiful to satirical and enraged (the vocal version of "Original Faubus Fables" is a treasure) to utter chaos, but Mingus somehow steers his band clear of any obnoxious free-jazz indulgence.

I initially picked this disc up desperate to hear more Eric Dolphy, and I was not disappointed. His solos and interplay with Mingus, Richmond, and Curson are fantastic.

In short, if you are a Mingus fan or a Dolphy fan and you don't have this disc, you're really missing out.

Punk Rock Jazz? Ah Um. Sure........2003-03-02

This is one of my favorite all out no holds barred jazz albums. I'm more of a fan of the smaller units simply because you can hear each individual instrument better. Everyone playing on this simply grooves and the sound is Basic, Raw and actual seems like the live album it supposedly is.

Eric Dolphy's circular improvisation style is hear, full of sudden starts and stops in just the right places. Ted Curson's trumpet playing is just as good and in some spots, the two horns can be heard switching leads and intertwining so much that sometimes its hard to tell which is Curson and which is Dolphy.

Mingus himself obviously gets a more upfront role in this quartet than in his big band work. Some of the bass lines and solos he creates send my head bobbing and weaving.
Of course no great Mingus album is without the hard driving drums of Dannie Richmond.

As far as the actual pieces my favorite are the first two, FOLK FORMS NO. 1 and ORIGINAL FAUBUS FABLES. The former starts the album off with a bang and is more straight ahead bop style jazz than anything else on here. It is the 2nd longest piece but it goes by fast. Everyone takes a pretty even part in it as well.

ORIGINAL FAUBUS FABLES is the unrealeased version of the piece that appears on AH UM but this includes the intended vocals. A sarcastic "tribute" to racist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus who tried to prevent black students from attending the University despite federal law. Mingus and Dannie Richmond sing lines like, "Why is he so sick and ridiculous?...Dannie Richmond?" "They brain wash and teach you hate!!" the two yell. "Boo Nazi Facist Extremists!" " Governor Faubus!!" Its more something you have to hear for yourself.

WHAT LOVE takes things down a notch and is more of a ballad type piece. This is the longest cut and it can get long to listen to all the time especially after the first 2. The highlight of this however is the famed "conversation" that Eric Dolphy and Mingus have through the voices of their instruments. If you've never heard it you should, its magical. It sounds as if they are actual verbalizing, slowly "saying" things like "hey whats up?" "Yeah?" Yeah." They ask each other more chit chat type questions and answers, Then it gets more intense slowly rising until they are at one point "screaming" at each other, but they settle their differences before things get too much out of hand.

The last piece ALL THE THINGS YOU COULD BE BY NOW IF SIGMUND FREUD'S WIFE WAS YOUR MOTHER, is not as strange as you might think. Its more a mid tempo ballad but not as standout as anything else on the album, still good though.

This was the first album I heard from Mingus and Dolphy and it remains in my top five jazz album list to this day. Its the raw emotion, passion, sensitivity, humor, and skill that the genre Jazz really means, A MUST OWN OR MUST LISTEN TO ALBUM!

One of Best Albums Of Mingus and Jazz!.......2001-04-09

Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus is a very essential jazz album. This album really captures the turmoil that would surround jazz in the 1960s. Charles Mingus, easily one of the best jazz bassists of all time, leads an incredible quartet, including Ted Curson on trumpet, Eric Dolphy on sax (and many other instuments) and, of course, Dannie Richmond on drums. With a band that good, it would be hard to make a not great album. This album, however, is incredible.

Of the four songs on the album, there is not one that I would not call incredible. The album starts off with Mingus telling the imaginary "audience" to not applaud, ring the cash register or rattle the ice in their drinks. Mingu sthen introduces the band and the go into Folk Forms, No. 1. This is possibly the most complex songs on the album and one of the best. Mingus' bassline is great and Dolphy sax is incredible. Next, the band plays the highly contraversial Original Faubus Fables, which is a type of protest song against the racist governor of Arkansas who segregated schools. Mingus and Richmond sing over the classic bass and saxophone line, leading to some really increible solos by Dolphy and Curson. The band follows this with What Love, which is more of a slow, ballad. The musicianship is still incredible. The last song, All the Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother, is more then just a great title. It closes of the album with the same level of excellence as the other three songs.