In Memoriam: Charles Mingus

I sat be
side the man / his
ruined, round
body / eyes of a
sultan, sandweary & all
encompass

ing / fat, black
pudgy fingers ancient
eyes

: you know me for

sure
Charles Mingus / got
nuthin to

say got unthin
to ask of your vastness
Your sadness

old as notes
the soul neglects / got
nuthin to

give you back
for what you blew

Got
nuthin but
the slow, sad weight
of

2
huge
hands

2 urns
to hold the ashes
of

a
man's
gesture

moving pensively
on the dense piano
like

God's
presence on the
still face of the

hushed
waters

-Mikhail Horowitz

Nothin' but love for the ho but Jaco is better.

My first introduction to him is the album 'Mingus Ah Um' which I bought a few days ago for £3. To say I am blown away is an understatement. There is some incredible stuff going on on this album. Cannot wait to hear more.

Mingus Is Amazing
 

Let My Children Hear Music is absolutely wonderful! One of my favorite albums - across all genres.

= <333333333333

Mingus Ah Um > Birth of the Cool

Nuff said.

All I have is a "Best Of" type collection of his music but I absolutely love it. Anyone have any recommendations?

I was reading about cats on wiki the other day and found this: :D

Mingus Ah Um
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady
Blues & Roots
Mingus Dynasty
The Clown

Honestly, his entire discography is pretty flawless. He was a phenomenal bassist and a spectacular composer. He never received as much respect as Coltrane, Davis, etc, but he is just as talented a compositional genius as them. As I stated before, I think Mingus Ah Um rivals the best in jazz, and that's certainly saying something.

Scored this today. My copy has 3 bonus tracks and 6 original tracks in unedited form, I am also blown away. Brilliant record.

Mingus is my favourite composer/writer for any genre of music...

Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is definitely my favourite. Solo Dancers blows me away every time, no matter how many I have spun it recently. Its a bloody exciting song. I also love the introduction to Group Dancers, piano almost makes it sound like a classical record, and in itself, it becomes a masterpiece with the introduction of the spanish guitar and the flute. Awesome piece.

Other albums I love (Not all of them despite being solid throughout his catalogue) include:
The Clown
Mingus at Antibes
Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Pre Bird
Tijuana Moods

Though I love the avant garde/progressive big band sound, I actually loved his move to more traditional sounds in Pre Bird, and his move to other cultures in Tijuana Moods and The Clown (Haitian Fight Song). Some marvelous works throughout his entire catalogue. I can always rely on Mingus to be able to come back to and be blown away again and again...

BTW you're welcome 4ZZZ :p: