Description

1LP VInyl – 700197

Here, bassist, bandleader and composer Charles Mingus leads two different 12-piece ensembles through a selection of some of his best-known compositions, while taking the opportunity to revamp and update them. The titles are changed too – so “Haitian Fight Song” becomes “II B.S.,” “Theme For Lester Young” is a new version of “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” and so on. There’s also a gorgeously sleepy interpretation of Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo.” The performances are all exquisite, as you’d expect from bands featuring some of Mingus’s most important collaborators including multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy and pianist Jaki Byard. It’s timeless, essential jazz.