Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Hum - coloured 180g vinyl -

Release date 05-12-2018(originally recorded in 1959)

2018  EU reissue 180g coloured vinyl LP

Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia, Mingus Ah Um is a stunning summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point for beginners. Mingus Ah Um is one of the supreme works of bassist Charles Mingus. Recorded in 1959 on Columbia Records, Mingus Ah Um built upon bebop convention...

Tracks:
A1. Better Git It In Your Soul
A2. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
A3. Boogie Stop Shuffle
A4. Self-Portrait In Three Colors
A5. Open Letter To Duke

B1. Bird Calls
B2. Fables Of Faubus
B3. Pussy Cat Dues
B4. Jelly Roll

Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia, Mingus Ah Um is a stunning summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point for beginners. While there's also a strong case for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady as his best work overall, it lacks Ah Um's immediate accessibility and brilliantly sculpted individual tunes. Mingus' compositions and arrangements were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith on Mingus Ah Um.

The band includes longtime Mingus stalwarts already well versed in his music, like saxophonists John Handy, Shafi Hadi, and Booker Ervin; trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis; pianist Horace Parlan; and drummer Dannie Richmond. Their razor-sharp performances tie together what may well be Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions. At least three became instant classics, starting with the irrepressible spiritual exuberance of signature tune "Better Get It in Your Soul," taken in a hard-charging 6/8 and punctuated by joyous gospel shouts. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a slow, graceful elegy for Lester Young, who died not long before the sessions. The sharply contrasting "Fables of Faubus" is a savage mockery of segregationist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, portrayed musically as a bumbling vaudeville clown (the scathing lyrics, censored by skittish executives, can be heard on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus). The underrated "Boogie Stop Shuffle" is bursting with aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to Mingus' most revered influences: "Open Letter to Duke" is inspired by Duke Ellington and "Jelly Roll" is an idiosyncratic yet affectionate nod to jazz's first great composer, Jelly Roll Morton. It simply isn't possible to single out one Mingus album as definitive, but Mingus Ah Um comes the closest.

Musicians:
- Charles Mingus (bass, piano)
- John Handy (alto & tenor sax, clarinet)
- Booker Ervin (tenor sax)
- Shafi Hadi (tenor & alto sax)
- Willie Dennis (trombone)
- Jimmy Knepper (trombone)
- Horace Parlan (piano)
- Dannie Richmond (drums)