Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

by Charles Mingus

Overview

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. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	06/13/2025
Label:	Universal Japan
UPC:	4988031759196

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Charles Mingus   Primary Artist,Bass,Piano,Vocals,Double Bass
The Independent Jazzwerkstatt Orchester   Primary Artist
Charles Mingus Trio   Primary Artist
Ulrich Gumpert & Workshop Band   Primary Artist
Rolf Roemer   Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor)
Booker Ervin   Sax (Tenor)
Jaki Byard   Piano
Gregoire Peters   Sax (Baritone),Clarinet (Bass)
Walter Perkins   Drums
Wayne Escoffery   Sax (Tenor)
Charles Mariano   Sax (Alto)
Charlie Mariano   Sax (Alto)
Hans Glawischnig   Double Bass
Hampton Hawes   Piano,Guest Artist
Thomas Alkier   Drums
Soren Fischer   Trombone
Alex Sipiagin   Trumpet
Britt Woodman   Trombone
Eddie Preston   Trumpet
Dannie Richmond   Drums
Richard Gene Williams   Trumpet
Johnathan Blake   Drums
Don Butterfield   Tuba,Trombone,Trombone (Bass)
Eric Dolphy   Flute,Sax (Alto)
Jay Berliner   Guitar
Dave Kikoski   Piano
Walter Gauchel   Sax (Tenor)
Mark Gross   Sax (Alto),Sax (Soprano)
Richard Williams   Trumpet
Dick Hafer   Oboe,Flute,Clarinet,Sax (Tenor)
Christof Thewes   Trombone
Greg Bowen   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Wolfgang Koehler   Piano
Rolf Ericson   Trumpet
Jerome Richardson   Flute,Sax (Soprano),Sax (Baritone)
Michael Thieke   Clarinet,Sax (Alto)
Quentin Jackson   Trombone
Charles Marino   Sax (Alto)
Christian Grabandt   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Michael Griener   Drums
Ulrich Gumpert   Piano
Norbert Nagel   Clarinet,Sax (Alto),Flute (Soprano)
Andy Hunter   Trombone
Ben Abarbanel-Wolff   Sax (Tenor),Sax (Baritone)
Martin Klingeberg   Trumpet,Horn (Tenor)
Jan Roder   Double Bass
Danny Richmond   Drums,Guest Artist
Simon Harrer   Trombone
Johannes Gunkel   Double Bass
Juergen Scheele   Conductor
Matthias Harig   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Otwin Zipp   Tuba,Trombone (Bass)
Henrik Walsdorff   Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor)

Technical Credits

Bob Thiele   Producer
Irving Mills   Composer
Rolf Roemer   Arranger
Vernon Duke   Composer
Duke Ellington   Composer
Ulf Drechsel   Producer
George Gershwin   Composer
Erick Labson   Digital Remastering
DuBose Heyward   Composer
Michael Cuscuna   Reissue Producer
Otto Harbach   Composer
Hampton Hawes   Composer
Bob Hammer   Arranger
Barney Bigard   Composer
Nat Hentoff   Liner Notes
Charles Mingus   Arranger,Composer
Tjark Voelker   Engineer
Christian Ulrich   Digital Editing
Ulli Blobel   Executive Producer
Monika Steffens   Digital Editing
Johnny Mercer   Composer
David Raskin   Composer
Joe Alper   Photography
Wolfgang Hoff   Sound Supervision
Nikolaus Loewe   Engineer
Hollis King   Art Direction
Klaus Untiet   Design
Ulrich Gumpert   Arranger
Reinhard Schickel   Sound Assistant
Maria Suschke   Sound Supervision
Jason Claiborne   Design
Albany Bigard   Composer
Juergen Scheele   Leader,Arranger,Composer
Wolfgang Schulz   Sound Assistant
Jerome Kern   Composer
Bob Simpson   Engineer