Jazz Archives

This excellent LP (which has been reissued by Rhino on CD) was one of bassist Charles Mingus's finest of his later period. His working quintet was particularly strong and versatile (tenor-saxophonist George Adams, trumpeter Jack Walrath, pianist Don Pullen and drummer Dannie Richmond) and Mingus's creativity was undergoing a bit of a renaissance after several years of inactivity. The four selections are all originals by the bassist with "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" and "Sue's Changes" being most memorable.

:::Review by Scott Yanow:::

Charles Mingus - Changes One (1974)

1. Remember Rockefeller At Attica 5:58
2. Sue's Changes 17:07
3. Devil Blues 9:27
Written-By - Gate Mouth Brown
Written-By, Vocals - George Adams
4. Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love 12:11

Credits
Bass, Written-By - Charles Mingus
Drums - Dannie Richmond
Piano - Don Pullen
Saxophone [Tenor] - George Adams
Trumpet - Jack Walrath

On the original LP issued by Columbia, Mingus thanked producer Teo Macero for "his untiring efforts in producing the best album I have ever made." From his deathbed in Mexico in 1979 he sent a message to Sy Johnson (who was responsible for many of the arrangements on the album), saying that Let My Children Hear
Music was the record he liked most from his career. Although Mingus' small-group recordings are the ones most often cited as his premier works, this album does, in fact, rank at the top of his oeuvre and compares favorably with the finest large-ensemble jazz recordings by anyone, including Ellington. The pieces had been brewing over the years, one from as far back as 1939, and had been given more or less threadbare performances on occasion, but this was his first chance to record them with a sizable, well-rehearsed orchestra. Still, there were difficulties, both in the recording and afterward. The exact personnel is sketchy, largely due to contractual issues, several arrangers were imported to paste things together, making the true authorship of some passages questionable, and Macero (as he did with various Miles Davis projects) edited freely and sometimes noticeably. The listener will happily put aside all quibbles, however, when the music is heard. From the opening, irresistible swing of "The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jiveass Slippers" to the swirling depths of "The I of Hurricane Sue," these songs are some of the most glorious, imaginative, and full of life ever recorded. Each piece has its own strengths, but special mention should be made of two. "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" is based entirely on a piano improvisation played by Mingus in 1964 and issued on Mingus Plays Piano. Its logical structure, playful nature, and crystalline moments of beauty would be astounding in a polished composition; the fact that it was originally improvised is almost unbelievable. "Hobo Ho," a holy-roller powerhouse featuring the impassioned tenor of James Moody, reaches an incredible fever pitch, the backing horns volleying riff after riff at the soloists, the entire composition teetering right on the edge of total chaos. Let My Children Hear Music is a towering achievement and a must for any serious jazz fan. The CD issue includes one track, "Taurus in the Arena of Life," not on the original LP, but unfortunately gives only snippets from the Mingus essay that accompanied the album. That essay, covering enormous territory, reads like an inspired Mingus bass solo and should be sought out by interested listeners. One can't recommend this album highly enough.

:::Review by Brian Olewnick:::

Charles Mingus - Let My Children Hear Music (1971)

1. The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jiveass Slippers – 9:34
2. Adagio ma Non Troppo – 8:22
3. Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid Too – 9:26
4. Taurus in the Arena of Life – 4:17
5. Hobo Ho – 10:07
6. The Chill of Death – 7:38
7. The I of Hurricane Sue – 10:09

Credits
Lonnie Hillyer, Jimmy Nottingham, Joe Wilder, Snooky Young (tp)
Jimmy Knepper (tb)
Julius Watkins (frh)
Charles McPherson (as)
Jerry Dodgion, Bobby Jones, Hal McKusick, James Moody (reeds)
Jaki Byard, John Foster, Roland Hanna (p)
Charles McCracken (cello)
Ron Carter, Richard Davis, Milt Hinton (b)
Charles Mingus (b, comp, arr)
Dannie Richmond (d)
Teo Macero (cond, as) and others

Having completed what he (and many critics) regarded as his masterwork in The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Charles Mingus' next sessions for Impulse found him looking back over a long and fruitful career. Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus is sort of a "greatest hits revisited" record, as the bassist revamps or tinkers with some of his best-known works. The titles are altered as well -- "II B.S." is basically "Haitian Fight Song" (this is the version used in the late-'90s car commercial); "Theme for Lester Young" is "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"; "Better Get Hit in Your Soul" adds a new ending, but just one letter to the title; "Hora Decubitus" is a growling overhaul of "E's Flat Ah's Flat Too"; and "I X Love" modifies "Nouroog," which was part of "Open Letter to Duke."

There's also a cover of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," leaving just one new composition, "Celia." Which naturally leads to the question: With the ostensible shortage of ideas, what exactly makes this a significant Mingus effort? The answer is that the 11-piece bands assembled here (slightly different for the two separate recording sessions) are among Mingus' finest, featuring some of the key personnel (Eric Dolphy, pianist Jaki Byard) that would make up the legendary quintet/sextet with which Mingus toured Europe in 1964. And they simply burn, blasting through versions that equal and often surpass the originals -- which is, of course, no small feat. This was Mingus' last major statement for quite some time, and aside from a solo piano album and a series of live recordings from the 1964 tour, also his last album until 1970. It closes out the most productive and significant chapter of his career, and one of the most fertile, inventive hot streaks of any composer in jazz history.

:::Review by Steve Huey:::

Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963)

1. II B.S. (4:46)
2. I X Love (7:38)
3. Celia (6:12)
4. Mood Indigo (4:43)
5. Better Get Hit In Yo' Soul (6:28)
6. Theme For Lester Young (5:50)
7. Hora Decubitus (4:41)
Bonus Track
8. Freedom (5:10)

Credits
Artwork By [Art Direction] - Hollis King
Artwork By [Graphic Design] - Jason Claiborne
Bass - Charlie Mingus
Drums - Dannie Richmond (tracks: 2, 3) , Walter Perkins (tracks: 1, 4 to 8)
Engineer - Bob Simpson
Guitar - Jay Berliner (tracks: 2, 3)
Mastered By [Remastered] - Erick Labson
Narrator - Charlie Mingus (tracks: 8)
Oboe - Dick Hafer (tracks: 2, 3)
Photography [Cover, Liner Photos] - Joe Alper
Piano - Charlie Mingus (tracks: 2, 3) , Jaki Byard
Producer - Bob Thiele
Reissue Producer - Michael Cuscuna
Saxophone [Alto] - Charles Mariano (tracks: 2, 3)
Saxophone [Alto], Flute - Eric Dolphy (tracks: 1, 4 to 8)
Saxophone [Baritone, Soprano], Flute - Jerome Richardson
Saxophone [Tenor] - Booker Ervin (tracks: 1, 4 to 8)
Saxophone [Tenor], Clarinet, Flute - Dick Hafer (tracks: 1, 4 to 8)
Trombone - Britt Woodman (tracks: 1, 4 to 8) , Quentin Jackson (tracks: 2, 3)
Trumpet - Eddie Preston (tracks: 1, 4 to 8) , Richard Williams , Rolf Ericson (tracks: 2, 3)
Tuba - Don Butterfield

Duke Ellington surprised the jazz world in 1962 with his historic trio session featuring Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Not in a mood to simply rework older compositions, the bulk of the LP focused on music he wrote specifically for the session. "Money Jungle" is a thunderous opener, a blues that might be classified somewhere between post-bop and avant-garde. The gem of the date is the fragile, somewhat haunting ballad "Fleurette Africaine," where Mingus' floating bassline and Roach's understated drumming add to the mystique of an Ellington work that has slowly been gathering steam among jazz musicians as a piece worth exploring more often. "Very Special" is a jaunty upbeat blues, while the angular, descending line of "Wig Wise" also proves to be quite catchy. Ellington also revisits "Warm Valley" (a lovely ballad indelibly associated with Johnny Hodges) and an almost meditative "Solitude." Thunderous percussion and wild basslines complement a wilder-than-usual approach to "Caravan." Every jazz fan should own a copy of this sensational recording session.

1. Money Jungle 5:27

2. Fleurette Africaine 3:33

3. Very Special 4:23

4. Warm Valley 3:31

5. Wig Wise 3:17

6. Caravan 4:11

7. Solitude 5:31

8. Switch Blade 5:21

9. A Little Max (Parfait) 2:57

10. Rem Blues 4:15

11. Backward Country Boy Blues 6:30

12. Solitude 4:42

13. Switch Blade 5:11

14. A Little Max (Parfait) 2:56

15. Rem Blues 5:44

Bass - Charles Mingus

Drums - Max Roach

Piano - Duke Ellington

Recorded at Sound Makers, New York City on September 17, 1962

1 Pithecanthropus Erectus (10:41)

2 A Foggy Day (7:53)

3 Profile Of Jackie (3:07)

Some Mingus albums are like a tremendous three-ring circus. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be struck with awe and delight. The music is absorbing, intense, harrowing, beautiful. Drop everything and run to the show, and don’t expect to get anything else done at the same time: this is about as far from background music as it gets. A great Mingus album is a totally involving experience. This is especially true of one of the only jazz albums to have liner notes written by a clinical psychologist: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. Mingus chimes in with a peroration of his own, too, including, “I feel no need to explain any further the music herewith other than to say throw all other records of mine away except maybe one other [unnamed].” Anyone tempted to take this advice should be committed to the observation ward at Bellevue Mingus graced with his presence not long before making this record, but the music itself deservedly holds its creator’s high estimation.

Mode F: Group and Solo Dance
(Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt, Then Farewell, My Beloved, 'til It's Freedom Day)

Drums - Dannie Richmond
Engineer - Bob Simpson
Guitar - Jay Berliner
Photography [Cover And Line Photos] - Bob Ghiraldini
Piano - Jaki Byard
Producer - Bob Thiele
Saxophone [Alto] - Charlie Mariano
Saxophone [Soprano, Baritone], Flute - Jerome Richardson
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute - Dick Hafer
Trombone - Quentin Jackson
Trumpet - Richard Williams , Rolf Ericson
Tuba - Don Butterfield

Recorded January 20, 1963.