Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus cover

Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

Released

Partly recorded at the same January 1963 session that yielded The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady, with five more tracks captured in September, this ferociously energetic album features retitled pieces from Mingus’s book (“Haitian Fight Song” is now “II B.S.”, “E’s Flat, Ah’s Flat Too” is now “Hora Decubitus,” “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” is now “Theme For Lester Young”) arranged for an 11-member ensemble jammed with screaming horns. But it’s not all wall-shakers; there are some lovely, swinging ballads here, too. “Theme For Lester Young” and an achingly melancholy version of Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” are the perfect lead-in to the stomping “Hora Decubitus.”

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Valentine cover

Valentine

Bill Frisell
The Source cover

The Source

Tony Allen
Think Tank cover

Think Tank

Pat Martino
Class Trip cover

Class Trip

Joey Baron, John Abercrombie, Mark Feldman, Marc Johnson
Whispering of the Stars cover

Whispering of the Stars

Brian Kellock, Tommy Smith
The Out-of-Towners cover

The Out-of-Towners

Jack DeJohnette, Gary Peacock, Keith Jarrett
Yakhal' Inkomo cover

Yakhal' Inkomo

Winston "Mankunku" Ngozi
Later Works cover

Later Works

Stan Tracey Octet