CiTR

Tonight The Jazz Show honours and celebrates the 91st Birthday of one of American's most individual and iconic geniuses of this music referred to as Jazz....the one and only Charles Mingus. Mingus was a wonderful pianist and a virtuoso bassist but one of this music's greatest composers. He ranks with Ellington and Monk at creating a huge body of work. Today Mingus' compositions are played by the Mingus Big Band and his legacy is in the hands of his widow, Susan Mingus. This album was recorded in early 1963 with an 11 piece orchestra that had played two long engagements at Bird and The Village Vanguard in New York. The music was the first album in Mingus' new contract with Impulse Records and the label spared no expense catering to Mingus' wishes in the production and most importantly in the post-production. Mingus had full control as to his musical vision and this album was one, at the time that Mingus felt was his best to date. It is a suite of 3 movements with the long 4th being an amalgam of the first three. It's called "The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady" and has some outstanding solos by Jerome richardson on soprano and baritone saxophone, Mingus on bass and piano, Jaki Byard on piano but most importantly Charlie Mariano on alto saxophone. Mariano tears and cries out with unbridled passion with some of his best playing ever. This is a challenging and dense work worthy of listening to and re-listening.Happy Birthday Charles Mingus!