One of the greats in American Music... Musician, Bassist, Composer...
Jazz Legend.
On the bassist and bandleader’s centennial, 10 jazz musicians discuss his achievements and complexities and pick out a pivotal track from his repertoire.
www.nytimes.com
As a Jazzer myself, I was introduced to Mingus very late. I knew who he was but am guilty of the crime of not listening to his music for way too long. It was one of the two Bassists in the band I moved from Missouri to San Francisco with who pushed me past whatever block it was I had going on.
D@mn.
What I had been missing.
Sometimes you can't really get past the first time.
For me, my first Mingus was
Mingus Ah Um.
I think I chose this mainly because of the two Saxophonists on the Album. (Three, actually, with Shafi Hadi added in on a few cuts as well.) Though I wasn't intimately familiar with either John Handy or Booker Ervin, I knew of them. Regardless, this was what I chose.
From the first cut, I was hooked. Absolutely cookin' rhythms and Dannie Richmond's driving percussion made
Better Get It in your Soul an instant favorite. Add to that the absolute classics like
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and
Fables of Faubus and you can't go wrong.
For me... the epiphany of this CD I bought was in a bonus cut.
Pedal Point Blues. I just adore the composition, the dissonance, layers, riffs...
I hope some of you will join me and celebrate the Life and Music of one of America's greatest Artists.
For those with Apple Music who may wish to enjoy the whole of his first album on Columbia, with bonus tracks:
Album · 1959 · 12 Songs
music.apple.com
And here's a 3-pack for those that just want to dip their toes in the pool:
Better Get It In Your Soul
Fables Of Faubus
Pedal Point Blues
