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Mingus's most unappreciated album?


theteach

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I'd like to add another welcome to the Board.

I agree with brownie - Jazz Portraits is a very fine recording that's usually overlooked.

A couple of others not in that class, but fine and overlooked:

Mingus Plays Piano (Impulse) - more pure music on this than on many pianists' records.

The Charles Mingus Group - Debut Rarities Vol. 3 (OJC) - also available on the Mingus Debut box. I just picked this up and have only listened to it once, so I can't tell how well it will hold up, but it grabbed me on first listen and it was certainly overlooked by me until now.

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just wanted to add something related to Mingus - if you have the Debut box you've heard the version of Massey Hall without the Mingus overdub - the sound on this is so strikingly better than the version released (has more presence, better sound) that I'm surprised it has not been issued officially as an alternative to the other - by the way I never said the Stormy Weather performance was underappreciated - I only note that it is rarely mentioned; both Dolphy and Mingus's work on it are unsurprassed -

Edited by AllenLowe
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For some reason, when I listen to Mingus Moves, from 1973, I play it over & over again. I just love this album. Even the title track which has vocals (I'm not a fan of jazz vocals normally) I love the melody line in it. Mingus wrote only 3 or so songs on it. I'd have to say, it's my favorite.

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For some reason, when I listen to Mingus Moves, from 1973, I play it over & over again. I just love this album. Even the title track which has vocals (I'm not a fan of jazz vocals normally) I love the melody line in it. Mingus wrote only 3 or so songs on it. I'd have to say, it's my favorite.

I love his early 70's stuff myself. There are a bunch of downloads on easytree right now of early-mid 70's shows. I'm working on getting my upload ratio up right now (I've finally got the firewall thing settled), but I hope to download them soon.

I also agree with David and Paul about Mingus Plays Piano. :tup I really enjoy Mingus' Impulse recordings; they were some of the first jazz I purchased.

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I love "Mingus Plays Piano" as well. It's one of the few recordings I've kept more than one "version" of. I sold the US Impulse version; I had before and still have the Mobile Fidelity silver version which sounds great and I have since bought a Japanese lp facimile 24 bit version that is quite quite nice.

Just so intimate and so deep; it's riveting stuff.

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I think I once asked this in a Duke thread, but similarly: is there a bad Mingus album? One of the greatest oeuvres in all of jazz...

I've found that the ones I wasn't as enthusiastic about early in my Mingus listening experience have grown on me over time--that is, Pre-Bird, Town Hall Concert (1962), and Mingus and Friends. The latter two grew in my estimation based on the expanded CD reissues.

I haven't listened to it in quite awhile, but the one that might fill the bill is Charles Mingus and Orchestra, which was made in Japan with a mixture of Mingus and Japanese musicians. When I got it I thought it was not good, but now I find I can't really remember anymore, so maybe I better listen again.

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I think I once asked this in a Duke thread, but similarly: is there a bad Mingus album? One of the greatest oeuvres in all of jazz...

You ask whether there is a "bad" Mingus album. There is IMO. Having loved Mingus's music for close to 40 years, there's one album I purchased when it was first issued knowing full well that I wouldn't like it but that I "had to have" it for the sake of completeness. It is MINGUS AT CARNEGIE HALL. Now how did I know I wouldn't like it?

Back in January 1974 when it was performed and recorded I attended the concert. There was lots of terrific MINGUS music, i.e., his compositions. Later on the bill, various guest artists including Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jon Faddis, etc. were invited on stage in order to participate in two excruciatingly long, self-indulgent jam sessions on non-Mingus fare, "'C' Jam Blues" and "Perdido". And of course that's what Atlantic chose to issue on LP. Wonderful MINGUS music that had been performed by Mingus's regular working ensemble during the first half of the concert stayed in the can and has never surfaced to my knowledge.

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AfricaBrass, you brought back my favorite avatar!

One of my favorite albums too!

The reissue of the album (with the original non-Cat-ner cover :lol: ), is due out on April 12th.

I know. It was already issued about three years back, but ever since Alpert has been re-mastering ALL of his Tijuana Brass recordings, it's coming back out in April on the Signature Series. I already have Lonely Bull, South Of The Border, and a CD of Tijuana Brass cuts never before been heard and released.

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Guest wankyjazz

I think the Charlie Mingus album that is the most unappreciated is the one that he doesn't wank on, o wait....

Edited by wankyjazz
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