Summary
Mingus is an album by the jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus. The album was recorded in October and November 1960 in New York and released in late 1961 on Nat Hentoff's Candid label.[1][2][3]
| Mingus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October or November 1961[1][2][3] | |||
| Recorded | 20 October and 11 November 1960 | |||
| Studio | Nola Penthouse Sound Studios, New York City | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 39:52 | |||
| Label | Candid CJM-8021/CJS-9021 | |||
| Charles Mingus chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| DownBeat | [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [7] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [6] |
Background edit
At this time Mingus was working regularly with a piano-less quartet featuring Eric Dolphy, Ted Curson and Dannie Richmond, as heard on the Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus album also recorded in October 1960. The Mingus album features one track, "Stormy Weather", recorded by the same quartet, plus two tracks recorded by a larger group featuring piano and additional horns.
The track "M.D.M." weaves together the themes from three compositions: Duke Ellington's "Main Stem", Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser" and Mingus's own "Fifty-First Street Blues". The track "Lock 'Em Up" was inspired by a period of treatment that Mingus describes undergoing in his autobiography Beneath the Underdog, at New York's Bellevue psychiatric facility.
Track listings edit
Candid release edit
- "M.D.M. (Monk, Duke and Me)" – 19:49
- "Stormy Weather"* – 13:23
- "Lock 'Em Up (Hellview of Bellevue)" – 6:40
- All compositions by Charles Mingus except * by Harold Arlen & Ted Koehler
Barnaby reissue edit
In April, 1974, Barnaby Records reissued this album as Mingus: The Candid Recordings (KZ-31034), adding the track "Vasserlean", which had appeared only on a 1961 Candid Records various-artists collection called Jazz Life (CJM-8019/CJS-9019). The new track listing was:
- "M.D.M. (Monk, Duke and Me)" – 19:49
- "Vasserlean" – 6:35
- "Stormy Weather" – 13:23
- "Lock 'Em Up (Hellview of Bellevue)" – 6:40
Jazz Man reissue edit
In 1980, Jazz Man Records reissued this album under its original Candid title, Mingus (JAZ-5002), also including the track "Vasserlean." The track listing was:
- "Stormy Weather" – 13:23
- "Lock 'Em Up (Hellview of Bellevue)" – 6:40
- "M.D.M. (Monk, Duke and Me)" – 19:49
- "Vasserlean" – 6:35
Personnel edit
- Charles Mingus – bass
- Ted Curson, Lonnie Hillyer – trumpet
- Jimmy Knepper, Britt Woodman – trombone
- Charles McPherson – alto saxophone
- Eric Dolphy – alto saxophone, flute and bass clarinet
- Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone
- Nico Bunink, Paul Bley – piano
- Dannie Richmond – drums
References edit
- ^ a b "New LP Releases". Billboard Music Week. The Billboard Publishing Co. 23 October 1961. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews of New Albums". Billboard Music Week. The Billboard Publishing Co. 6 November 1961. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Mingus" (PDF). The Cash Box. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc., NY. 25 Nov 1961. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ Proefrock., Stacia (2011). "Mingus - Charles Mingus | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
- ^ Down Beat: February 1, 1962 vol. 29, no. 3
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 142. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1003. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.