Charles Mingus - Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus (2LP, 45RPM)
Jay Berliner, guitar
Don Butterfield, trombone, tuba
Jaki Byard, piano
Eric Dolphy, flute, alto saxophone [click here to see more vinyl featuring Eric Dolphy]
Rolf Ericson, trumpet
Booker Ervin, tenor saxophone [click here to see more vinyl featuring Booker Ervin]
Dick Hafer, clarinet, flute, oboe, tenor saxophone
Quentin Jackson, trombone
Charlie Mariano, alto saxophone
Walter Perkins, drums
Eddie Preston, trumpet
Jerome Richardson, flute, baritone saxophone, soprano saxophone
Dannie Richmond, drums
Richard Gene Williams, trumpet
Britt Woodman, trombone
2 LP, Gatefold jacket
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 45RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Record Technology Incorporated
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : Impulse!
Recorded September 20, 1963 (A1, C1, D1, D2) and January 20, 1963 (A2, B1, C2)
Engineered by Bob Simpson
Produced by Bob Thiele
Remastered by Kevin Gray & Steve Hoffman at AcousTech
Originally released in 1964
Reissued in 2021
Tracks :
Side A:
- II B.S.
- I X Love
Side B:
- Celia
Side C:
- Mood Indigo
- Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul
Side D:
- Theme for Lester Young
- Hora Decubitus
Reviews :
"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." AllMusic Review by Steve Huey
"The album features the two sides of Mingus' compositional genius: the beautiful balladry that I always feel has a bit of a film-noir feel to it, alongside those joyous upbeat numbers that are filled with an organized chaos that categorizes much of the bassist's best work. ... Throw in the fact that it also features Jaki Byard (who is just phenomenal on this recording and remains criminally underrated), Booker Ervin, Dannie Richmond and Eric Dolphy and you have some of Mingus' finest sidemen driving his compositions to the fantastical places they seemed preordained to go. ... Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus is a record that has more than stood the test of time and is an everlasting testament to the talents of Mingus and the players who had the ability to follow his musical vision." — The Jazz Record
Rating
AllMusic 5/5 , Discogs 4.6/5