Great band, bad sound
OkieRambler | 11/03/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I love Mingus with Eric Dolphy, but the sound on this French import is just horrible. My guess is that it was recorded off the drum & bass mikes. Mingus comes through just fine, but the horns are a million miles away and the high hat dominates the mix. Unless you're a die-hard completest, you may want to pass on this one."
Horns are right out front, but ...
D. Wentworth | Pittsburgh, PA | 04/13/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Contrary to a previous review, the horns are right out front in this two disc set. During the first cut on disc 1, "So Long Eric," there is a large section when no horns are heard at all ... because Mingus, Richmond and Bayard are soloing! Perhaps the previous reviewer gave up too soon?
Or perhaps not. On the disconcerting side, the 2nd cut on disc 1, "Orange Was the Colour of Her Dress," literally is faded out at 12 minutes plus, with the band still playing. "Meditations" (perhaps "Meditations for Integration"?) opens side two, running 29 plus minutes, yet ending in silence. This makes the listener skittish: why also the lack of applause at the end of "These Foolish Things," the 3rd cut on disc 1? "Fables of Fabulus" starts abruptly (as though someone hit pause, lit a cigarette and, what, uh ...) and then proceeds for 40 plus minutes and, still, is faded out. There are only the barest of linear notes accompanying these discs, none with any information about the music performed. So, in this sense at least, let the buyer beware.
On the upside, this is a very listenable recording, with what many consider to be Mingus's finest band - rounded out with Eric Dolphy on flute & alto sax, Clifford Jordan on alto & tenor and Johnny Coles on trumpet. There are, however, two much finer live Mingus recordings recently released: Cornell 1964 (perhaps the best Mingus live album of all) and Music Written for Monterey 1965, Not Heard... Played in Its Entirety at UCLA, a reissue of material originally released on vinyl from Mingus's own label back in the 60's. Also, if you like visuals with your music, there is the fabulous new DVD, Jazz Icons: Charles Mingus Live in '64, which features live performances in Belgium, Norway, and Sweden. All three are fantastic and if you are a true Mingus fan, they are not simply a must; they are true gifts from the music gods.
All in all, however, Stuttgart Meditations is for Mingus completists, not for casual jazz fans. Make no mistake: there are high quality, high energy performances here that will knock you back. It is the presentation of parts of those performances that leaves something to be desired.
"
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1