Eclipse (jazz track)

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Charles Mingus 1976

Eclipse is a jazz composition by bassist Charles Mingus from 1947.

The title

In 1947, Charles Mingus was bassist in the vibraphonist Lionel Hampton's big band for about a year . This led to the collaboration with jazz singer Billie Holiday , for whom Mingus Eclipse composed: “I sent the sheet music to Billie Holiday. I don't know if she ever received it. I've heard her interpret Strange Fruit , so I imagined that she could sing that too. "

On October 27, 1953, Mingus had the opportunity to record this important early work with singer Janet Thurslow (re-released on The Complete Debut Recordings ). Gunther Schuller adopted this interpretation, referring to its contrapuntal, polyphonic structure, in his collection of exemplary third-stream titles Mirage: Avant-Garde and Third-Stream Jazz (New World NW 216).

Mingus Eclipse recorded a second time on May 25, 1960, released on the Pre-Bird record (Mercury 6336321). The singer here is Lorraine Cousins. Honey Gordon sang the song at the Mingus concert in the New York Philharmonic Hall on February 4, 1972, which appeared on the album Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert .

This Mingus composition is also included on a tribute album by producer Hal Willner , Weird Nightmare: Meditations on Mingus . Here the composition is interpreted by the multi-instrumentalist Art Baron , sung by Diamanda Galás .

Further interpretations of the composition were recorded by Eric Dolphy , Howard Riley , Jack Walrath and Ran Blake .

Choice discography

  • Charles Mingus: Autobiography in Jazz (Debut 1953; also on The Complete Debut Recordings , Debut / Fantasy, 1951–58)
  • Charles Mingus: Pre Bird (Mercury, 1960)
  • Art Baron, Bill Frisell and others on: Hal Willner: Weird Nightmare (Columbia / Sony, 1992)
  • Eric Dolphy: Out There (OJC)
  • Jack Walrath: Hip Gnosis (TBC)
  • Howard Riley: The Day Will Come (CBS)
  • Kevin Mahogany and WDR Big Band: Pussy Cat Dues - The Music Of Charles Mingus (Enja)
  • Ran Blake: Something To Live For (HatHut)

Literature / sources

  • Marcus A. Woelfle : Liner Notes for CD Charles Mingus - 80th Birthday Celebration (Fantasy)
  • Leonard Feather : Liner Notes for Charles Mingus - Pre Bird (Mercury, 1960)
  • Hal Willner / Jeff Rosen: Liner Notes for Weird Nightmare (Columbia / Sony 1992)
  • Charles Mingus Discography
  • Bielefeld Jazz Catalog, 2001

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Quoted from: Charles Mingus, More Than a Fake Book . Hal Leonard Corporation, New York 1991; ISBN 0-7935-0900-9 , p. 41
  2. ↑ Gunther Schuller, Liner Notes for the record Mirage: Avant-Garde and Third-Stream Jazz (PDF file; 60 kB)
  3. ↑ The text of the poem Chill Of Death inserted into this arrangement by Eclipse is spoken by the singer Leonard Cohen , accompanied by Bill Frisell , Don Byron , Greg Cohen , Henry Threadgill and others