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Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus To Pre Bird Revisited
Eric Dolphy
woodwinds1928 - 1964
Ted Curson
trumpet1935 - 2012
Dannie Richmond
drums1935 - 1988
The four originals which comprise Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus—"Folk Forms No. 1." "Original Faubus Fables," "What Love," "All The Things You Could Be By Now If Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother"—are each classics and the performance of "Original Faubus Fables" is perhaps the best realised ever caught on disc. Previously heard as an instrumental on Mingus Ah Um (Columbia, 1959), the track, aimed at the racist governor of Arkansas, Orval Faubus, here centers around impassioned lyrics written by Mingus and delivered call-and-response style by Mingus and Richmond. Another conversation on the album, this time non-verbal but no less eloquent than "Faubus," is the instrumental one between Mingus and Dolphy on "What Love."
In his highly recommended collection of factional essays, But Beautiful (Jonathan Cape, 1991), Geoff Dyer writes that Mingus' response to Amerikkkan demagoguery was to "rant back, to rush at it with all the intensity that he felt it rushing on him, two juggernauts hurtling toward each other." Never did Mingus rush at it more effectively than on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus and in "Original Faubus Fables" in particular.
The eight tracks from Pre Bird comprise six originals which were written, said Mingus, before he heard
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto1920 - 1955
The style of Pre Bird is high-impact swing and the orchestra's lineup steps out of a dream. Dolphy, Curson and Richmond are present throughout, joined by a host of fellow luminaries including
John LaPorta
clarinet1920 - 2004
Paul Bley
piano1932 - 2016
Booker Ervin
saxophone, tenor1930 - 1970
Joe Farrell
saxophone1937 - 1986
Yusef Lateef
woodwinds1920 - 2013
Jimmy Knepper
trombone1927 - 2003
Slide Hampton
trombone1932 - 2021
Clark Terry
trumpet1920 - 2015
Marcus Belgrave
trumpet1936 - 2015
But perhaps the most remarkable track is the closing "Half-Mast Inhibition" (check the YouTube below), written when Mingus was eighteen (so in 1939 or 1940). At 8:16 it is the longest track (most of the others are less than four minutes, one is just over that) and it is conducted by
Gunther Schuller
composer / conductor1925 - 2015
P.S. As on all ezz-thetics' Revisited releases, Michael Br?ndli's remastering of the source material is a delight in itself, adding presence to what we already know—and also revealing new details. Item: Dolphy or Curson clapping out a rhythmic motif during Mingus and Richmond's duet on "Folk Forms No. 1." Even if you have known Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus for multiple decades, and have been playing it on decent set-ups, you may have missed this—or forgotten it until prompted by Br?ndli's craftsmanship. ">
Track Listing
Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus: Folk Forms No. 1; Original Faubus Fables; What Love; All The Things You Could Be By Now If Simund Freud’s Wife Was Your Mother. Pre-Bird: Take The A Train; Prayer For Passive Resistance; Eclipse; Mingus Fingus No. 2; Weird Nightmare; Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me; Bemoanable Lady; Half-Mast Inhibition.
Personnel
Additional Instrumentation
Charles Mingus: double bass, vocals; Eric Dolphy: alto saxophone, bass clarinet, vocals; Ted Curson: trumpet, vocals; Dannie Richmond: drums, vocals; John LaPorta: alto saxophone (8, 11, 12); Danny Bank: baritone saxophone (8, 11, 12); Charles McCracken: cello (8, 11, 12); Gunther Schuller: conduction (12); Robert DiDomenica: flute (8, 11, 12); Harry Schulman: oboe (8, 11, 12); George Scott: percussion (8, 11, 12); Sticks Evans: percussion (8, 11, 12); Max Roach: percussion (12); Paul Bley: piano, vocals (5, 7, 9); Sir Roland Hanna: piano (8, 11, 12); Bill Barron: tenor saxophone (8, 11, 12); Booker Ervin: tenor saxophone, vocals (5-7, 9, 10); Joe Farrell: tenor saxophone, vocals (5-12); Yusef Lateef: tenor saxophone, vocals (5-12); Charles Greenlee: trombone (8, 11, 12); Eddie Bert: trombone (8, 11, 12); Jimmy Knepper: trombone, vocals (5-12); Slide Hampton: trombone (8, 11, 12); Clark Terry: trumpet (8, 11, 12); Hobart Dotson: trumpet (8, 11, 12); Marcus Belgrave: trumpet (8, 11, 12); Richard Williams: trumpet (8, 11, 12); Don Butterfield: tuba (8, 11, 12); Lorraine Cusson: vocals (7, 9).
Album information
Title: Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus To Pre Bird Revisited | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Ezz-thetics
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