Today in Music (1959): Charles Mingus completed recording on Ah Um

Ah Um Charles Mingus

Released: October 1959 Recorded: May 5-12, 1959 Peak: -- Sales (in millions): 0.17 US, 0.06 UK, 0.23 world (includes US and UK) Genre: jazz > avant garde

Tracks: Better Get It in Your Soul Goodbye Pork Pie Hat Boogie Stop Shuffle Self-Portait in Three Colors Open Letter to Duke Bird Calls Fables of Faubus Pussy Cat Dues Jelly Roll Total Running Time: 45:53 The Players: Charles Mingus (bass, piano) John Handy (alto sax) Booker Ervin (tenor sax) Shafi Hadi (tenor and alto sax) Willie Dennis (trombone) Jimmy Knepper (trombone) Horace Parlan (piano) Dannie Richmond (drums)

Rating: 4.241 out of 5.00 (average of 11 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “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 acccessibility 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.” AMG “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.” AMG 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).” AMG “The underrated Boogie Stop Shuffle is bursting with aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to Mingus' three most revered influences: Open Letter to Duke is a suite of three tunes; Bird Calls is inspired by Charlie Parker; 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.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Charles Mingus AMG All Music Guide review by Steve Huey WK Wikipedia First posted 10/7/2008; last updated 3/14/2024.