Charles Mingus Pithecanthropus Erectus

“I’m trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it’s difficult is because I’m changing all the time.” Charles Mingus. The radical discovery by Amir Abdullah of 5 two-track master tapes in the care of Hermine Brooks ­– widow of innovative Detroit drummer Roy Brooks – of the Charles Mingus Quintet recorded live in Detroit at Strata Concert Gallery is cause for some serious celebration.

The Clown was Charles Mingus' second masterpiece in a row, upping the already intense emotional commitment of Pithecanthropus Erectus and burning with righteous anger and frustration. With Pithecanthropus, Mingus displayed a gift for airtight, focused arrangements that nonetheless allowed his players great freedom to add to the established mood of each piece. The Clown refines and heightens that gift; instead of just writing heads that provide launch points for solos, Mingus tries to evoke something specific with every piece, and even his most impressionistic forays have a strong storytelling quality.

The Clown was Charles Mingus' second masterpiece in a row, upping the already intense emotional commitment of Pithecanthropus Erectus and burning with righteous anger and frustration. With Pithecanthropus, Mingus displayed a gift for airtight, focused arrangements that nonetheless allowed his players great freedom to add to the established mood of each piece. The Clown refines and heightens that gift; instead of just writing heads that provide launch points for solos, Mingus tries to evoke something specific with every piece, and even his most impressionistic forays have a strong storytelling quality. In fact, The Clown's title cut makes that explicit with a story verbally improvised by Jean Shepherd (yes, the same Jean Shepherd responsible for A Christmas Story) from a predetermined narrative…

Charles Mingus - In Paris, The Complete America Session (1970) {2CD Set Universal Music France 984 275-6 rel 2006}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 786 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 286 Mb
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© 1970, 2006 EmArcy / Universal Music France | 984 275-6
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz

The music on Charles Mingus' In Paris: The Complete America Session originally appeared on two separate LPs issued by America which were duly reissued by several labels as Reincarnation of a Lovebird (though not to be confused with the earlier album of the same title made for Candid). After a five-year layoff from doing any studio recording, Mingus was fully prepared for this 1970 session, with old hands Jaki Byard on piano, drummer Dannie Richmond, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, and newer additions Bobby Jones (tenor sax), and Eddie Preston (trumpet) making up his sextet.