Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um (1959/1999) {SACD ISO + DSF DSF DSD64/2.82MHz}

Charles Mingus’ 1959 Columbia sessions were both a summation of his diverse work up to that point and a bold step forward, for it was the year when at last he had the opportunity to sign with a major label and work with an old friend and musical collaborator, Teo Macero at Columbia Records.
There was no stopping this incredible musical mind who’d found his voice as a bassist, composer and bandleader. The bands that Mingus assembled at Columbia’s 30th Street studio in May and November of ‘59 consisted of the greatest exponents of his music to date, featuring sidemen Jimmy Knepper, John Handy, Booker Ervin, Horace Parlan and Dannie Richmond.

These 1959 sessions, which resulted in Mingus Ah Um and Mingus Dynasty, introduced several classics that would become evergreens in the bassist’s repertoire and jazz standards including: “Better Git It In Your Soul,” “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” and “Fables Of Faubus” plus homages to jazz greats Ellington (“Open Letter To Duke”), with whom Mingus is most frequently compared for the vastness, depth and diversity of his recordings, and Morton (“Jelly Roll”), jazz’s first great composer.

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. ~~ AllMusic Review by Steve Huey

Tracklist:
1 Better Git It In Your Soul 7:23
2 Goodbye Pork Pie Hat 5:44
3 Boogie Stop Shuffle 5:02
4 Self Portrait In Three Colours 3:10
5 Open Letter To Duke 5:51
6 Bird Calls 6:17
7 Fables Of Faubus 8:13
8 Pussy Cat Dues 9:14
9 Jelly Roll 6:17
10 Pedal Point Blues 6:30
11 GG Train 4:39
12 Girl Of My Dreams 4:08

Personnel:
Charles Mingus, bass, piano (with Parlan on #10)
John Handy, alto sax (#1,6,7,9-12), clarinet (#8), tenor sax (#2)
Booker Ervin, tenor sax
Shafi Hadi, tenor sax (#2-4,7,8,10), alto sax (#1,5,6,9,12)
Willie Dennis, trombone (#3-5,12)
Jimmy Knepper, trombone (#1,7-10)
Horace Parlan, piano
Dannie Richmond, drums

SACD ISO

CharlesMingusMingusAhUm19591999S0nyCS65512SACDIS0.part1.rar
CharlesMingusMingusAhUm19591999S0nyCS65512SACDIS0.part2.rar
CharlesMingusMingusAhUm19591999S0nyCS65512SACDIS0.part3.rar
CharlesMingusMingusAhUm19591999S0nyCS65512SACDIS0.part4.rar

DSF DSF DSD64/2.82MHz

CharlesMingusMingusAhUm19591999S0nyCS65512DSD64.part1.rar
CharlesMingusMingusAhUm19591999S0nyCS65512DSD64.part2.rar
CharlesMingusMingusAhUm19591999S0nyCS65512DSD64.part3.rar