Word: albums
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...long after a nerve disease had ended Mingus's playing career by forcing him into a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It was recorded hastily by a 25-piece ensemble consisting largely of white studio musicians who have little or no previous association with Mingus. The album confirms Mingus's pervasive musical personality precisely because of these limitations. Lacking the leader's enormous presence on bass, as well as the discipline of the handpicked, carefully trained small workshops for which he is best known, Me Myself An Eye remains distinctly Mingus from start to finish...
...composer's help in counting off the choruses. Guitarist Larry Coryell shines among the soloists, reaching way back into blues history for a solo that matches the spirit of the piece. "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" goes back to 1959, when Mingus recorded it on his Blues and Roots album. This arrangement begins and ends with singing and handclapping, which set a tone of unrestrained fervor. The climax of this rough and rambling church shout is a flaming tenor solo by Ricky Ford, the last in a long line of great saxophonists who discovered themselves in Mingus's Jazz Workshops...
...individual performances on the album are all sound, but Mingus has in his day inspired better solos. The rock-associated Brecker brothers sound good here, but are probably over-represented. As on Three or Four Shades of Blues, maverick Coryell shows considerable understanding of Mingus's music in a number of excellent solos. Bassists Eddie Gomez and George Mraz wisely shy away from the spotlight, the obvious comparison with Mingus being overwhelming. Trumpeter Jack Walrath and saxophonist George Coleman each step forth briefly but decisively, while musicians of the caliber of Pepper Adams, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Knepper and Konitz take...
American mini-blitz on behalf of their new album Give 'Em Enough Rope: ten days, seven cities, stretching from Berkeley to New York, stirring up waters that flow far too free and easy. "American audiences like music to keep you happy," observes Drummer Nicky ("Topper") Headon. "It's music for you to drive home by." "It's the most dreadful thing," Lead Guitarist Mick Jones declares scornfully. "The Aerosmiths, the Foghats, the Bostons-they've kind of signed themselves...
...There is even some civic concern about violence at the concerts, to which Strummer replies, "There's as much violence at our concerts as any bar" -or, he might have added, at your run-of-the-mill Aerosmith concert. Even with this uncertainty and resistance, the new album has sold upwards of 50,000 copies so far, indicating that there is still an audience for the kind of challenging, combustible music that has not been matched since the Stones...