Pithecanthropus Erectus

Pithecanthropus Erectus

Pithecanthropus Erectus

ASIN: B000002I7U

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
One of the great figures in modern jazz, bassist Charles Mingus was the ultimate triple threat: a master of his instrument, a jazz composer of the first rank, and an insightful leader of a series of extraordinary and incendiary bands. Raised in Los Angeles, Mingus was a devotee of Duke Ellington, whose compositional style had an unsurpassed effect on the young composer. As a player, however, Mingus was drawn to his contemporaries, who included Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, and Max Roach (indeed, Roach and Mingus co-owned their own Debut Records during the '50s). Perhaps his greatest contribution was bridging the gap between those two generations: in Mingus's music, one could always explicitly hear the continuity between the big bands and the bebop era, the affinity between the romantic and the modern. Although he had recorded extensively for numerous labels including his own Debut Records, Mingus's relationship with Atlantic would yield many of his greatest recordings. Cut in 1956, Pithecanthropus Erectus was his first date for the label, and it provided something of a breakthrough for Mingus in his use of extended compositions: the 10-minute title track, and the lovely "Profile of Jackie," are among the bassist's finest recordings. The band is notable for the inclusion of the under-recorded tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose. --Fred Goodman

Pithecanthropus Erectus,Charles Mingus,Atlantic / Wea,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • I played the vinyl to death when I first heard this. Wish they would RE-MASTER it
  • Brilliant loopy jazz for muppets
  • Bring back the original cover art!
  • Awesome title track
  • Mingus' first masterpiece.
 Pithecanthropus Erectus
Charles Mingus
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002I7U
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

  1. Pithecanthropus Erectus
  2. A Foggy Day
  3. Profile of Jackie
  4. Love Chant

Amazon.com essential recording

One of the great figures in modern jazz, bassist Charles Mingus was the ultimate triple threat: a master of his instrument, a jazz composer of the first rank, and an insightful leader of a series of extraordinary and incendiary bands. Raised in Los Angeles, Mingus was a devotee of Duke Ellington, whose compositional style had an unsurpassed effect on the young composer. As a player, however, Mingus was drawn to his contemporaries, who included Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker, and Max Roach (indeed, Roach and Mingus co-owned their own Debut Records during the '50s). Perhaps his greatest contribution was bridging the gap between those two generations: in Mingus's music, one could always explicitly hear the continuity between the big bands and the bebop era, the affinity between the romantic and the modern. Although he had recorded extensively for numerous labels including his own Debut Records, Mingus's relationship with Atlantic would yield many of his greatest recordings. Cut in 1956, Pithecanthropus Erectus was his first date for the label, and it provided something of a breakthrough for Mingus in his use of extended compositions: the 10-minute title track, and the lovely "Profile of Jackie," are among the bassist's finest recordings. The band is notable for the inclusion of the under-recorded tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose. --Fred Goodman

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars I played the vinyl to death when I first heard this. Wish they would RE-MASTER it.......2007-07-02

A Mingus fan forever, and I catch the new Mingus groups at the Iridium or Dizzy's in NYC often. Never can get enough of his compositions and the sounds of The Mingus Big Band, Mingus Orch. and Mingus Dynasty and all with Sue Mingus's guidance.
Pithecanthropus Erectus was my introduction to Mingus so many years ago,and I have bought just about everything he and the new groups above have released since then.
Impossible to imagine this original, inventive and simply beautiful music on this album was first released 50 years ago. No one, but no one, can create music like this today. Mingus was trully a genius and it seems he is getting more and more recognition of this.
If your just getting into Mingus's music, this album is a must. The playing by Mingus and the other great young, swinging musicians on this date is more than just creative, and each of the players seems to be just perfect for this masterpiece, which contains some of Charles Mingus's best compositions
Atlantic Records, PLEASE RELEASE A RE-MASTERED VERSION OF IT.Done correctly, today's techknowlogy could do wonders for it. So many lesser albums by lesser artist have been re-mastered. WHY NOT THIS!

4 out of 5 stars Brilliant loopy jazz for muppets.......2007-05-24

For those struggling to "connect" with jazz, coming from a pop music sensibility (where one listens for lyrics and melody instead of texture and interplay, etc.)Mingus is a groovy, humorous breakthrough. With this album I was able to bring my soul and mind back to being a child of 6 or 7 and watching Sesame Street in the safe haven presence of my big daddy reading the Sunday paper. Mingus makes music like clowns make animal balloons and magicians pull rabbits out of hats for children's birthday parties, but not in some creepy overacting way, in a very cool, 1960s-70s Sesame Street way, the muppets way. Horns interact like they're loony muppet birds speaking to one another in a comical but beautiful language.... repeating each other's questions as textures shift and change. Best of all is how Mingus connects modern jazz with bebop, big band, and the sound of the blues. He's like a crazy connect the dots painter, linking Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker to Sun Ra in one crazy technicolor brush stroke. That said, the horns and sirens of Foggy Day are really annoying after 2 seconds and the tambourine in "Love Dance" seems really off sometimes, like some musician's little kid or jazz workshop janitor got in on the scene, picking up the one instrument no one was using. Other than that, this is a masterpiece.

4 out of 5 stars Bring back the original cover art! .......2007-03-14

Seriously - does anybody besides me miss this album's original cover? You know, that abstrafct painting? I do! Anyway, onto the album...

The title track is one of Mingus' best works, a daring sonic exploration of blah, blah, blah... point is, it's a tone poem about the rise and fall of Pithecanthropus Erectus (a species Mingus apparently made up) that's one of his best extended pieces ever. Next up is A Foggy Day (In San Francisco)... man, that is some weird s#!%. It's the audio equivalent of Mingus mooning the jazz purists, with all kinds of real-life sounds (trolleys, sirens, etc.) made by instruments. Free-jazz before it was called free-jazz, or even anti-jazz. Pure insanity. I love it. Meanwhile, Profile of Jackie is Mingus for traditionalists, a lovely little three-minute sax solo.
So far, this seems like Mingus' masterpiece, right? Well, it came remarkably close. Enter Love Chant. I can't really get into that one - it just goes nowhere over its fifteen minutes and really bores me. Normally I wouldn't let one song bring an album down an entire star, but that's one of four. But it's a five-star if you're willing to hit "stop" before Love Chant, for sure!

4 out of 5 stars Awesome title track.......2006-10-08

Charles Mingus's melody for "Pithecanthropus Erectus" is an absolute classic. It's beautiful, and as he shows in the song, it can be played calmly or chaotically. At the time, it was a forward-thinking example of jazz composition and harmony. Today, it still stands up. The CD goes next to "A Foggy Day" where ambient sounds are added to the song. It's not the best song, I don't think the fog horns and so forth add or detract from it, they're not too prominent in the mix. "Profile Of Jackie" features Jackie McLean's sax, not a bad song, I'm not very enthusiastic about it. The CD wraps up in fine form with "Love Chant", a long improvisation. Bookended by strong songs, I highly recommend this CD.

5 out of 5 stars Mingus' first masterpiece........2005-07-22

"Pithecanthropus Erectus" is in the opinion of many (and rightly so), the first Charles Mingus masterpiece. It is on this record I really felt the "Mingus sound" began to coalesce-- that sort of playful jazz filtered through gospel and a big sense of humor sound he had, generously supported by a band that was more than capable of bringing his vision to life (including Jackie McLean blowing alto like he's got something to prove and pianist Mal Waldron).

The album's four tracks (about forty minutes of music) are each classics in their own right-- three Mingus originals and one Gershwin standard ("A Foggy Day"). All four feature fantastic arrangements, in particular the Gershwin piece that finds Mingus at his most inventive-- tenor sax fog horns, alto siren wails, scratching basses, slide whistles and so on. But in between these excursions is a fantastic swing and a monster bass solo. But as good as this is, its probably the title track that's best known-- a difficult, start-stop rhythmic piece with bizarre tempo changes and fierce group improvisation, its justifiably considered one of the greats in Mingus' catalog. The remaining two tracks ("Profile of Jackie" and "Love Chant") are no slouches either-- the former features a brilliant, wailing theme stated on alto, the latter starts as a rolling piano ballad before breaking into a fierce swing for the solo sections.

In all, a great album of Mingus' music. I'd start with "Mingus Ah Um", but this may be where to look next. Essential.
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Pithecanthropus Erectus
    Charles Mingus
    Manufacturer: Wea International
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
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    3. Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus
    4. Saxophone Colossus
    5. The Clown

    ASIN: B00000IH8W
    Release Date: 1996-05-27

    Tracks:

    1. Pithcanthropus Erectus
    2. Foggy Day
    3. Profile Of Jackie
    4. Love Chant

    Album Details

    Limited Edition Digipack with Original Cover and Liner Notes.
    Pithecanthropus Erectus
    Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    • Mingus' Classic Updated For a Better Look and Sound!
    		 Pithecanthropus Erectus
    Charles Mingus
    Manufacturer: Atlantic
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
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    ASIN: B000KHXFWS
    Release Date: 2007-02-05

    Tracks:

    1. Pithecanthropus Erectus
    2. Foggy Day
    3. Profile of Jackie
    4. Love Chant

    Album Description

    Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2007.

    Album Details

    Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars Mingus' Classic Updated For a Better Look and Sound!.......2007-05-19

    This mini-lp replica sleeve is a real treat for fans as it very faithfully copies in great detail the original lp design. The remastered sound also makes the sound quality of this album a real pleasure to listen to as well. This is a worthwhile addition to any jazz fan's musical library. Recommended.
    Pithecanthropus Erectus
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Pithecanthropus Erectus
      Charles Mingus
      Manufacturer: Accord
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
      Bebop GeneralBebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
      GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
      Modern PostbebopModern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
      Bebop & Post-BopBebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000004CK9
      Release Date: 1995-08-22

      Tracks:

      1. Pithecanthropus Erectus
      2. Foggy Day
      3. Profile of Jackie
      4. Love Chant
      Pithecanthropus Erectus: 1955-1957
      Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
      • Bogus Mingus
      • 'Erectus
      		 Pithecanthropus Erectus: 1955-1957
      Charles Mingus
      Manufacturer: Giants of Jazz (Ita)
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
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      All Bargain TitlesAll Bargain Titles | Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music
      ASIN: B0000060Q9
      Release Date: 1999-12-07

      Tracks:

      1. Pithecanthropus Erectus
      2. Haitian Fight Song
      3. Love Chant
      4. Foggy Day
      5. Memories of You
      6. East Coasting
      7. Jump Monk
      8. Serenade in Blue
      9. Work Song

      Customer Reviews:

      1 out of 5 stars Bogus Mingus.......2002-11-22

      The title of this CD just happens to be the same as the title of Mingus '56 masterpiece for Atlantic records. This is nothing but a cheap Italian bootleg.

      This CD is a compilation of tracks from "Pithecanthropus Erectus" (Atlantic, 1956), "East Coasting" (Bethlehem, 1957), "Mingus At The Bohemia" (Debut, 1955) and "Charles Mingus Quintet + Max Roach" (Debut, 1955). The sound quality of this disc is inferior too any of the available originals. Do yourself a favour, buy the originals, they will give you the complete sessions in improved audio quality (and in most cases with added bonus material). If you're still looking for a Mingus compilation, go for the "Ken Burns" collection, but be warned, you may get addicted to Charles Mingus and wanting all the originals available!

      5 out of 5 stars 'Erectus.......2001-02-05

      This is a fine record - a classic. Everyone knows that. It's an accident that this hasn't been reviewed here. To be short, this, I believe is the only recording of Mingus that features Jackie McLean. They worked together for several months in '56-'57. East meets West, Jackie of course being the New Yorker. They got in a fight. It ended. But they left behind this *great* record of their collaboration. Jackie is probably the best living alto sax player - a post-Parker bopper, and Mingus one of the best composers, so sparks were bound to fly - esp. when one considers that Jackie is/was a left-of-center player with strong roots in the Miles Davis modal-improvisation camp. Unless he's George Russell, a composer isn't going to like that - esp. Sgt. Mingus.

      Take my word on it - it's a keeper, with many light-hearted anamatopoetic jazz moments. A wonderful album for smiles and light hearts.
      Pithecanthropus Erectus : 1955-1957
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Pithecanthropus Erectus : 1955-1957

        Manufacturer: Giants Of Jazz (Italy)
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD

        Avant Garde & Free JazzAvant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
        Modern PostbebopModern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
        ASIN: B0007TY4UQ

        Product Description

        1. Pithecanthropus Erectus 2. Haitian Fight Song 3. Love Chant 4. Foggy Day 5. Memories of You 6. East Coasting [East Coast Ghost] 7. Jump Monk 8. Serenade in Blue 9. Work Song
        Pithecanthropus Erectus
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Pithecanthropus Erectus

          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
          JazzJazz | Imports | Stores | Music
          ASIN: B000BDJ1Z6
          Release Date: 2005-12-13

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