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AOTW September 10-16


Guy Berger

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1. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting

2. Cryin' Blues

3. Moanin'

4. Tensions

5. My Jelly Roll Soul

6. E's Flat Ah's Flat Too

7-10 bonus tracks on deluxe edition

Musicians: Mingus (bass), Willie Dennis & Jimmy Knepper (trombones), John Handy & Jackie McLean (alto saxophones), Booker Ervin (tenor saxophone), Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone), Horace Parlan & Mal Waldron (piano), Dannie Richmond (drums)

Edited by Guy
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This is my favourite Mingus album not named The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady and by the one I listen to the most.

Blues & Roots gets overshadowed by the contemperanous Mingus Ah Um. But check out the tunes and the cracking good line-up on this one.

Highlights for me include Pepper Adams, the way Mingus keeps adding layer after layer on E's Flat, Mingus' bass on "My Jelly Roll Soul," etc.

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I'm a fan, although I admit that Blues & Roots has been overshadowed (in my mind) by a lot of the other Atlantics. What it accomplishes in the way of mid-sized group mayhem is astounding, but I sort of feel that this is par for the course (maybe I should listen to it more...)--if only because Mingus of this period is so consistent. The edits also piss me off (but that's with essentially all the Atlantic sides, so...). Any way, some fine blowing and excellent compositions--although I prefer the 'Hora Decubitus' version of 'E's Flat...', replete with apeshit Eric Dolphy solo.

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Any way, some fine blowing and excellent compositions--although I prefer the 'Hora Decubitus' version of 'E's Flat...', replete with apeshit Eric Dolphy solo.

The Dolphy solo is nice, but other than that "Hora Decubitus" is much more tame, especially in the ensembles.

This is also my favorite Mingus album. I like Ah Um a lot, but the rawness and sheer explosiveness here really gets to me. I mean, how can you argue with Pepper's baritone riff on "Moanin'"?

Interesting about comparison to the other Atlantics -- I like this one substantially better than Pithecanthropus Erectus or the (IMHO) overrated Oh Yeah.

Guy

Edited by Guy
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Man I wish I had this here in Houston with me. I've not heard this in too long!

I can't rate Mingus material because I've collected all I can find and I just flat like nearly all of it. . . well "Three or Four Shades of Blue" I dislike but that's about it. I'm a big fan of all the albums that Mingus made that year and the one before and after, that seems to be "core" Mingus to me. Pepper Adams here is great, and I guess what I really like about this is the careful choice of tempoes and the "feel" of the arrangements. Just an outstanding work, and one that would serve as a good introduction to jazz for someone who really dug blues-rock.

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This is a recording that makes one appreciate the LP format, because the first side of the Lp is just a perfect sequence of brilliant compositions and performances--Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, Cryin' Blues, Moanin'--Booker Ervin is amazing--the Mingus solo on Cryin' Blues is one of the greatest recorded bass solos--Pepper Adams on Moanin' is fantastic.

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The Dolphy solo is nice, but other than that "Hora Decubitus" is much more tame, especially in the ensembles.

This is also my favorite Mingus album. I like Ah Um a lot, but the rawness and sheer explosiveness here really gets to me. I mean, how can you argue with Pepper's baritone riff on "Moanin'"?

Interesting about comparison to the other Atlantics -- I like this one substantially better than Pithecanthropus Erectus or the (IMHO) overrated Oh Yeah.

Guy

More than that, I'd say that all of Mingus, Mingus... is relatively tame, despite the terrific arrangements and soloing. I just can't get over the total a-bomb of Dolphy showing up outta nowhere, ripping the band a new one (and why was that his only solo on the record? Wasn't he in the midst of medical problems at the time?).

I'd like to listen to this one more (my copy is hundreds of miles away), but I remember feeling that it lacks some of the mayhem and whimsy of the other Atlantics. For what it's worth, Blues... does have some of the hardest arrangements in the Atlantic cannon, and it's a lot less jocular and far more no-holds-barred than, say, Oh Yeah. For nuance, though, my favorite is The Clown--not as dense, but the highs are really, really high, and the group seems more bent on groove and lyricism than the fabled Mingus craziness.

Edited by ep1str0phy
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One of the first LPs I ever bought was an Atlantic twofer called 'The Atlantic Years - The Art of Charles Mingus'. The first track of LP1 had 'Moanin' and Pepper Adams fantastic full sound leading into the wild ensemble. I've always loved this track and it was no suprise recently to hear a rip off of the tune featuring on TV on a beer commercial. Not half as good as the version with Pepper though. :cool:

Had more of a problem at the time though with 'Passions of Man'. Another track on the aforementioned twofer.

Edited by sidewinder
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This is a great album, but I'm in the same boat with Lon... I haven't got all of Mingus' albums quite yet, but I have many of them plus a bunch of live recordings, and I love nearly all of it...

I can see why Blues & Roots would be overshadowed by some of the other Atlantics, probably because it's just a bunch of rather simple tunes being played here or something, instead of a greater theme or an outstanding item (like the title track of "Pithecantropus Erectus"), but these Atlantic sessions are all among Mingus' best! The 1959 Columbias are just as great, in my opinion, and of course the Candid stuff is, too... too much to chose from, as far as I'm concerned.

One highlight about "Blues & Roots" is that one Mal Waldron solo... going from memory I can't tell on what tune it is, but it's da shit, as they say...

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One highlight about "Blues & Roots" is that one Mal Waldron solo... going from memory I can't tell on what tune it is, but it's da shit, as they say...

waldron is only on one track "E's Flat AH's Flat Too"

got this album just three weeks ago but like a lot what I am hearing so far :tup

what a saxophone section (John Handy, Jackie McLean, Booker Ervin, Pepper Adams)

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Pretty sure I once heard a Midnight Oil song on the radio back in the day where they used a loop of a vamp off of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" as the foundation for the song. I think it was from that part during Parlan's solo just before Mingus screams & Booker comes in, where the saxes are hitting that one note repeated thing. They just looped that mofo & played a rock song over it.

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Just listening to this now. Half way through side 2. After ever so many years, I still find I don't really like "Tensions". But I have a strong feeling I'm not supposed to like it. That is, it's not intended to be likeable.

First time today I noticed that, after Charles quotes "Willow weep for me" in "Cryin' blues" Horace makes it the centrepiece of his solo. Easily led, that man :)

I love the sounds that man gets even more than Ellington and Morton.

And I can't really say that I like Jackie McLean or John Handy very much, but I make an exception for this album.

Booker and Pepper really do it for me. So do Jackie, John, Charles, Jimmy, Willie and Dannie. Have I left anyone out? Oh yes, Mal & Horace. Well, they do it for me, too!

Thanks for making this AOTW!

On to "Ah um" and "Mingus dynasty" tomorrow!

MG

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Since I picked the AOTW, I should probably offer my thoughts about it.

The ensemble sections on this album are great, and probably my favorite thing about the album. I like Mingus's quintet and quartet albums too, but there's just something special he could bring out of a mid-sized ensemble. Instead of conventional big-band writing, there's this wonderfully raucous polyphony.

"Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" is the first of Mingus's 1959 gospel-infused tracks. Unlike "Slop" and "Better Git It In Your Soul", the melody is simpler. It's also rawer than the other two. I think I like it better.

"Cryin' Blues" has a classic bass solo. I also really like Jackie Mac's playing on this one.

"Moanin' " is the crowning achievement of this album. The way the riffs pile on top of each other, Pepper Adams's baritino, and Booker Ervin's solo... Damn.

"E's Flat Ah's Flat Too" I heard after "Hora Decubitus". Usually I tend to prefer the first version of a track that I hear. Not in this case. While Dolphy's solo on the latter is a classic, it has little of the wild ensemble playing that the original had. Too clean.

I like John Handy with Mingus a lot, but feel that he was in better form on Ah Um, Mingus in Wonderland and Dynasty.

Guy

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Handy owns Ah Um, although I somehow feel as if he came off better on his leader sides (perhaps it is because he is the more conservative voice on many of the Handy group sessions, counterbalancing some of the more 'avant' younger cats).

Again, I really, really need to hear this one again (stored in my LA home), but I tend to like many of these originals better elsewhere (mainly because of Dolphy, who provides the main attraction not only on the big band 'Hora Decubitus' but also the Antibes version of 'Wed. Night Prayer Meeting'--Booker is arguably more effective on those sides, too). But--the more obscure tunes on this set knock me out. 'Moanin'' is (I agree) a total classic--and I need to give Pepper his props!

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Handy owns Ah Um, although I somehow feel as if he came off better on his leader sides (perhaps it is because he is the more conservative voice on many of the Handy group sessions, counterbalancing some of the more 'avant' younger cats).

If he owns Ah Um, it's in a partnership with Booker Ervin. :) I think he outshines Booker on Dynasty, however. It's great to hear them with Mingus regardless.

Guy

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