Search - Charles Mingus :: Timeless Charles Mingus

Enigmatic

David Saemann | 02/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the mid-1950's, Savoy had a Jazz Composers' Workshop recording series to which Mingus contributed. The first ten tracks come from that series, recorded in good monaural sound from 1954-5. The first six are by the Charles Mingus Sextet, for which no pianist is credited. These are highly experimental numbers, especially the four Mingus originals. These are usually treated to unusual effects, with the winds often far away from the microphone and with vivid contributions from Mingus's bass. The opening version of Tea for Two makes the song almost unrecognizable, but it's an interesting take on it. Present on all 10 of these early tracks is sax player Teo Macero, who later would find fame as a producer for CBS, working with Andre Kostelanetz and Miles Davis (What a switch!). The last four monaural tracks feature pianist Wally Cirillo's compositions, with him leading a quartet with Mingus on bass. These are pleasant but not terribly inventive numbers. The 11th track, O.P.(for Oscar Pettiford), is a Mingus original featuring him with a lively big band recorded in 1971. In sum, this perhaps is not prime Mingus, but it offers an interesting view of his artistry."