Tijuana Moods

The complex music on this LP finds bassist Charles Mingus looking toward contemporary classical music in some of the rather cool-toned arrangements. It was not until later in 1955 that he found the right combination of influences in which to express himself best but these slightly earlier performances have their moments. Four of the selections feature tenor-saxophonist Teo Macero, pianist Wally Cirillo, drummer Kenny Clarke and Mingus in a quartet while the other five tracks showcase a sextet with Macero, George Barrow on tenor and baritone and clarinetistaltoist John La Porta.

Charles Mingus - The Complete Birdland Broadcasts 1961-1962 (2015) {Air Cuts Remastered, Digital Download, Concert In Superb Fidelity}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44kHz - Official Digital Download (deezer.com) -> 1.09 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 452 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 1961-62, 2015 Air Cuts
Jazz / Hard Bop / Third Stream

This amazing set compiles all existing Birdland broadcasts by the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop of 1961-62. These long unavailable broadcasts feature such important musicians as Booker Ervin, Yusef Lateef, Jimmy Knepper, Pepper Adams, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Charles McPherson, Jaki Byard, Toshiko Akiyoshi andDannie Richmond. Among the many highlights is the drumless broadcast of May 12, 1962, which presents two bassists on Mingus’ only existing live version of “Ysabel’s Table Dance”, from Tijuana Moods. Mingus is the piano soloist on two broadcasts. This music has only been previously available on separate long out of print releases with inferior sound quality.

Pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader Keith Tippett's first album, You Are Here…I Am There, was issued in 1969, and received some notice as the work of an ambitious composer looking for a voice. Apparently, by the time he recorded Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening, which was released in 1971, he'd found it in spades. Tippett has become one of the great lights of the British free jazz movement, and for more than 30 years he has led groups of improvising musicians, from two to 40 in number, on some of the most exploratory and revelatory harmonic adventures in musical history - whether those in America know it or not. The band here is comprised of 11 pieces, including Elton Dean, Robert Wyatt, Nick Evans, Roy Babbington, Gary Boyle, Neville Whitehead, and others…

Trumpeter Paolo Fresu is ubiquitous on both the Italian and international jazz scenes. Unlike many of his countrymen, Fresu doesn't dabble; he's a fully committed jazzer, so it's not a surprise that this set is in the contemporary creative jazz vein. But to call it stodgy or old fashioned would be to miss the point; this is some of the most forward-looking ensemble composing and playing that the Italians have come up with – and it beats the hell out of a lot of stuff on this side of the Atlantic, and even gives the Dutch semi-big bands a run for their money. Fresu's front line consists of himself, Gianluigi Trovesi on bass clarinet and alto, Tino Tracanna on soprano and tenor, Roberto Cipelli on piano, Attilo Zanchi on bass, and Ettore Firoavanti on skins.

Charles Mingus' three albums for Bethlehem have the misfortune of being sandwiched between albums like New Tijuana Moods and Mingus Ah Um. The music on these three discs, recorded in the mid-to-late '50s, is quieter and less volatile when compared to these other albums. Bill Evans' appearance on East Coasting gives the listener a chance to sample his style a few months before he went to work for Miles Davis. His non-bluesy tone and mellow approach would seemingly be the antithesis of Mingus' modus operandi, but it works well here. He kicks off "East Coasting" with his distinct touch before giving way to the heavy percussion of the ever-explosive Dannie Richmond. One of the things that separates even a conservative (relatively speaking) Mingus effort from its peers is the babble of instrumental voices on a tune like "West Coast Ghost," with horns bursting from one speaker while the drums and bass thump madly from the other…

Que Viva Mingus! is an album dedicated to Mingus' considerable output of Latin-influenced jazz. The selections here include well-known Mingus compositions like "Los Mariachis," "Dizzy Moods," "Ysabel's Table Dance," and "Cumbia and Jazz Fusion," as well as some more obscure titles like "Slippers" and "Moods in Mambo," the album's oldest number, dating from 1949. Among the standout soloists are Randy Brecker on trumpet, John Stubblefield on tenor sax, Steve Slagle on soprano and alto saxes, Ronnie Cuber on baritone sax, and Dave Kikowski on piano. This is exciting, joyous, raucous, and still modern-sounding music, as fresh and challenging as the day it was written. And you can even dance to some of it.

“Another Word For Joy” is an uplifting experimental album that combines elements of dance, electronics, punk, rock and pop to create a uniquely expressive and original album. Enjoy is a one of a kind that with time should reach the forefront of the musical landscape.

Early Times is a Blues/Rock street poet, living in a gritty urban landscape spanning the Eastside street corners, bodegas, and the project park, ' populated by characters like Little Hustler, Uptown Charlie, Tijuana Madonna, Sweet Lou the Butcher, Ruby, Shakey, funky old Mabel, and of course Mary with her Cha Cha hat. Early and his High Rollers create moods so thick you could cut them with a chainsaw, and his incisive guitar playing is always spot on.