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...sound that Mingus gets out of his large and motley horn section is, for want of a much better word, "sloppy" in just the way he must have wanted it. He often spoke longingly of the days when the music was less complex and the musicians less literate, when he would teach each player his part by rote--he said that that music swung more than written music ever could. At its best, this band is free and sensitive; Mingus's rhythms and harmonies are felt as well as understood. At times, the sound is thick with instruments, over-reaching...

Author: By Paul Davison, | Title: Welcome Back, Charles | 3/7/1979 | See Source »

...foremost contribution of Mingus as musical thinker is surely his imaginative rethinking of traditional ideas. He gave modern jazz what it needed most--a link to its own past. The music on Me Myself An Eye expresses Mingus's interest and sympathetic understanding of the sources of black American music. The blues, gospel, church music, the spiritual ballad--these are the wellsprings of Mingus's musical heritage, and all are represented here. Side One is "Three Worlds of Drums," a 30-minute suite in which Mingus uses black music's most elemental instrument as a figure for the history...

Author: By Paul Davison, | Title: Welcome Back, Charles | 3/7/1979 | See Source »

Side Two consists of two thoughtfully reworked Mingus standards and a poignant new ballad that surely ranks among his best. "Devil Woman" was first recorded in 1961; it is basically a slow blues, but this arrangement takes so many unexpected rhythmic turns that the performance required the 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...

Author: By Paul Davison, | Title: Welcome Back, Charles | 3/7/1979 | See Source »

...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...

Author: By Paul Davison, | Title: Welcome Back, Charles | 3/7/1979 | See Source »

...Mingus's more alarming habits during the Jazz Workshop days was to stop his band in the middle of a performance in order to correct a mistake, rehearse a phrase, or simply berate his musicians. This probably accounted for much of his reputation as a fiery madman, but it made perfect sense to a man who saw jazz as a creative process rather than a finished product. Me Myself An Eye is hardly a climax to Mingus's long and valuable career, but, appropriately, it is ambitious enough to leave much work to be done. They say that Mingus died...

Author: By Paul Davison, | Title: Welcome Back, Charles | 3/7/1979 | See Source »

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