| "Charles Mingus – Ein Meisterkomponist des 20.
Jahrhunderts. Ein ganz Großer. Unter mindestens 15 richtigen Top-Alben
ist dies, neben „The
Black Saint & The Sinner Lady“, sein Bestes. „Eingängig“
ist wohl das falsche Wort, aber verblüffend leicht zugänglich
ist diese Musik, gespickt mit lauter wahrhaftig wunderbaren Melodien, manche
gehören zu den schönsten im ganzen Jazz. Noch dazu sind sie eingebettet
in Weltklasse-Arrangements, phantasievoll, einfallsreich, schillernd, anspruchsvoll
(obwohl es doch so selbstverständlich klingt...). Hier kommen Intelligenz,
große Gefühle, brillante Instrumentalarbeit, traumwandlerische
musikalische Kommunikation und sogar Humor zusammen. Die Grundstimmung reicht
von aggressiv bzw. sehr schnell bis zu sophisticated bzw. relaxt. Als Ganzes
geschlossen, und jedes Stück als einzelnes großartig, wobei 3
Tracks nochmal herausragen, wahre Jahrhundertsongs: Better git it in your
soul, Goodbye pork pie hat, Fables of Faubus. Der Stil? Wie wär´s
mit „Hard und BeBop meets Ellington“? Aber eigentlich...eine eigene
Kategorie. Aufgenommen 1959 im Septet. mit 4 Bläsern." (Glitterhouse) |
| Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia, Mingus Ah Um is a stunning
summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point
for beginners. While there's also a strong case for The Black Saint and
the Sinner Lady as his best work overall, it lacks Ah Um's immediate acccessibility
and brilliantly sculpted individual tunes. Mingus' compositions and arrangements
were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into
a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith
on Mingus Ah Um. The band includes longtime Mingus stalwarts already well
versed in his music, like saxophonists John Handy, Shafi Hadi, and Booker
Ervin, trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis, pianist Horace Parlan,
and drummer Dannie Richmond. Their razor-sharp performances tie together
what may well be Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions.
At least three became instant classics, starting with the irrepressible
spiritual exuberance of signature tune "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul,"
taken in a hard-charging 6/8 and punctuated by joyous gospel shouts. "Goodbye
Pork Pie Hat" is a slow, graceful elegy for Lester Young, who died
not long before the sessions. The sharply contrasting "Fables of Faubus"
is a savage mockery of segregationist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, portrayed
musically as a bumbling vaudeville clown (the scathing lyrics, censored
by skittish executives, can be heard on Charles Mingus Presents Charles
Mingus). The underrated "Boogie Stop Shuffle" is bursting with
aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to Mingus' three most
revered influences: "Open Letter to Duke" is a suite of three
tunes; "Bird Calls" is inspired by Charlie Parker; and "Jelly
Roll" is an idiosyncratic yet affectionate nod to jazz's first great
composer, Jelly Roll Morton. It simply isn't possible to single out one
Mingus album as definitive, but Mingus Ah Um comes the closest. -- Steve
Huey (AMG) |
Inselplatte #2 in Jahresliste 
Plattentipp 
#261 Virgin/Colin Larkin(2000)
