Charles Mingus Octet

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Charles Mingus Octet
Studio album by Charles Mingus

Publication
(s)

1953

Label (s) Debut Records , Original Jazz Classics

Format (s)

EP / CD

Genre (s)

jazz

running time

12:11 (EP) / 54: 00 (CD)

occupation

production

Charles Mingus / Max Roach

chronology
Strings and Keys
(1952) 		Charles Mingus Octet Jazzical Moods
(1954)

Charles Mingus Octet is an EP - record of the jazz bassist Charles Mingus , which was recorded in New York City on October 28, 1953rd It was Mingus' second release under his own name on the Debut Records label operated by him and Max Roach . The re-release of the recordings in 2006 under the new title Debut Rarities, Vol. 1 at Original Jazz Classics contained, besides two alternate takes of the octet session the material a further session from June 10, 1957 under the direction of Jimmy Knepper , as a 25 -cm-LP was supposed to be released on Debut under the title New Faces , but this did not take place after the bankruptcy.

background

With their new and independent label Debut, Mingus and Roach recorded a number of records as producers in 1953, including the debut albums by Kenny Dorham , Paul Bley , Sam Most , John LaPorta and Teo Macero . Mingus himself did not play bass on all of these recordings. Like his idol Duke Ellington , Mingus experimented relentlessly with his compositions by constantly looking for new instrumental combinations, voicings , timbres and suitable rhythmic elements.

Charles Mingus played under his own name in October 1953 six tracks in octets, four of which were released; his band included trombonist Willie Dennis , trumpeter Ernie Royal , woodwinds Joe Maini , Teo Macero and Eddie Caine , cellist Jackson Wiley , pianist John Lewis and drummer Kenny Clarke ; the singer Janet Thurlow , the wife of Jimmy Cleveland, can be heard on the two tracks " Eclipse " and "Blue Tide" . Besides Mingus and Spaulding Givens as arrangers of the session the young pianist acted Paul Bley as musical director ( conductor ).

Gunther Schuller wrote about “Eclipse”, “Mingus' approach is contrapuntal or polyphonic , in that the cello acts as a second voice to the solo vocal part, and thus to a large extent achieve vertical-harmonic connections as a result of linear developments. This is also one of the many examples that in jazz there was a return to the early polyphonic concepts of New Orleans jazz , almost forgotten in the swingara with the advent of arrangers and the incessant use of ' block chord ' homophonic arrangements . This is related to the various attempts to return to a format of chamber music in jazz [at that time] , more in an orchestral sense, in which individual instrumental voices act with a greater degree of linear / melodic independence. "

Track list

Charles Mingus (1976)

EP (1953)

  • Charles Mingus: Charles Mingus Octet (Debut EP-450)
  1. Pink Topsy (Mingus) - 3:03
  2. Miss Bliss (Mingus) - 3:03
  3. Blue Tide (Givens) - 3:08
  4. Eclipse (Mingus) - 2:57

CD (1992)

Jimmy Knepper
  • The Charles Mingus Octet / The Jimmy Knepper Quintet: Debut Rarities, Volume 1 (Original Jazz Classics 0025218180726, Debut Records 0025218180726)
  1. Pink Topsy (Mingus) - 3:03
  2. Miss Bliss (Mingus) - 3:03
  3. Blue Tide (Givens) - 3:08
  4. Pink Topsy (alternate) - 3:38
  5. Eclipse (Mingus) - 2:57
  6. Eclipse (alternate) - 2:54
  7. Latter Day Saint (Knepper) - 4:00
  8. Cunningbird (Knepper) - 4:45
  9. The Jumpin 'Blues (Jump The Blues Away) ( Dexter Gordon ) - 4:52
  10. The Masher (Knepper) - 3:33
  11. Latter Day Saint (alternate 1) - 5:22
  12. Latter Day Saint (alternate 2) - 3:46
  13. Latter Day Saint (alternate #?) - 4:15
  14. The Masher (alternate) - 3:51
  • Tracks 7-14 were created in 1957 with the line-up of Charles Mingus (bass), Joe Maini (alto saxophone), Dannie Richmond (drums), Bill Triglia (piano), and Jimmy Knepper (trombone).

reception

In Allmusic , Arwurf arwulf wrote about the new edition of the recordings ( Debut Rarities, Vol. 1 ), which he rated with four stars, that the independent debut label was “an early assertion of the strength and autonomy of creative musicians.” With the material from 1953 until 1957 one could study the development of Mingus and the circle of his musicians in the course of the 1950s.

Richard Cook & Brian Morton gave the new album three (out of four) stars in The Penguin Guide to Jazz .

References and comments

  1. ↑ The full title was: Debut Records presents Charles Mingus Octet playing Miss Bliss, Eclipse, Pink Topsy, Blues Tide.
  2. ↑ worldcat.org
  3. ↑ a b Album information at Discogs
  4. ^ Brian Priestley : Mingus. A Critical Biography . Quartet Books, London, Melbourne, New York City, ISBN 0-7043-2275-7 , pp. 43 f.
  5. ↑ a b Information from Concord
  6. ↑ a b Review of the album Debut Rarities, Vol. 1 at Allmusic (English). Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  7. ↑ jazzdisco.org
  8. ↑ Gunter Schuller: Musings- the musical worlds of Gunther Schuller, 1986, Oxford University Press, S. 129th
  9. ↑ In original: Essentially Mingus's approach is contrapunctual or polyphonic, with the cello acting as a second voice to the solo vocal part, to a large extent letting vertical / harmonic relationships to the result of linear developments. It is one of the many examples of what was then a growing concern to return to the earlier polyphonic concepts of New Orleans jazz, virtually forgotten in the swing era with the rise of the arranger and the incessant use of “Block chord” homophonice writing. It also links up with various attemps to return jazz to a chamber music format, rather than an orchestral one, in which the individual instrumental voices function with a greater degree of linear / melodic independence.
  10. ↑ discogs.com
  11. ^ Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP and Cassette . 2nd Edition. Penguin, London 1994, ISBN 0-14-017949-6 .