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Mingus Ah Um

Charles Mingus  Main Performer

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1 Better Get It in Your Soul Mingus 7:21
2 Goodbye Pork Pie Hat Mingus 5:42
3 Boogie Stop Shuffle Mingus 4:59
4 Self-Portrait in Three Colors Mingus 3:08
5 Open Letter to Duke Mingus 5:49
6 Bird Calls Mingus 6:18
7 Fables of Faubus Mingus 8:13
8 Pussy Cat Dues Mingus 9:13
9 Jelly Roll Mingus 6:15
  • Overview
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Mingus Ah Um

Long Play Record

Label: Legacy

Style: Post-Bop

Mingus Ah Um

UPC: 886973356814

Release Date: 09/16/2008

Original Release Date: 09/16/2008

Number of Discs: 1

Tracks: [Better Get It in Your Soul, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Boogie Stop Shuffle, Self-Portrait in Three Colors, Open Letter to Duke, Bird Calls, Fables of Faubus, Pussy Cat Dues, Jelly Roll]
Contributors:

Steve Huey

Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia, Mingus Ah Um is a stunning summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point for beginners. While there's also a strong case for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady as his best work overall, it lacks Ah Um's immediate accessibility and brilliantly sculpted individual tunes. Mingus' compositions and arrangements were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith on Mingus Ah Um. The band includes longtime Mingus stalwarts already well versed in his music, like saxophonists John Handy, Shafi Hadi, and Booker Ervin; trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis; pianist Horace Parlan; and drummer Dannie Richmond. Their razor-sharp performances tie together what may well be Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions. At least three became instant classics, starting with the irrepressible spiritual exuberance of signature tune "Better Get It in Your Soul," taken in a hard-charging 6/8 and punctuated by joyous gospel shouts. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a slow, graceful elegy for Lester Young, who died not long before the sessions. The sharply contrasting "Fables of Faubus" is a savage mockery of segregationist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, portrayed musically as a bumbling vaudeville clown (the scathing lyrics, censored by skittish executives, can be heard on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus). The underrated "Boogie Stop Shuffle" is bursting with aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to Mingus' most revered influences: "Open Letter to Duke" is inspired by Duke Ellington and "Jelly Roll" is an idiosyncratic yet affectionate nod to jazz's first great composer, Jelly Roll Morton. It simply isn't possible to single out one Mingus album as definitive, but Mingus Ah Um comes the closest. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi