Charles Mingus was not only the most important bassist in jazz, but he led some of the greatest bands, due to his ability to be a master talent scout. This four disc set captures in concert Charles Mingus at two of his arguably highest points of his career, one on April 16, 1964, and the other July 9, 1975. Both are from concerts in Bremen Germany, with the sound from the master tapes in excellent sonic quality.
And if you want to talk about quality, Mingus’ 1964 team had it, in Johnny Coles/tp, Eric Dolphy/as-fl-bcl, Clifford Jordan/ts, Jacki Byard/p and long time teammate Dannie Richmond/dr. This band is also captured on The Great Concert of Charles Mingus from the same year, but Coles was absent for much of that recording, and his presence here adds an extra layer of bop and brass. Byard’s wide fingers deliver a stride right of a joy ride on “Piano Solo”, giving homage to Waller and Tatum, and Mingus has a tour de force with Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady”. The 26 minute “Hope So Eric” (which was also known as “So Long Eric”) is a wide ranging affair with Dolphy’s alto in glorious form, bopping like Bird, and Jordan giving some gutbucket blues as the soloists take turns stretching out. The team swaggers through the political “Fables of Faubus” , with Byard in a free flowing mood and Dolphy’s bass clarinet gurgling like a happy hippo. The tribute to Bird on “Parkeriana” finds Cole in a sizzling mood, both flexible and swinging and Dolphy tears apart quotes from “Ornithology” and “52nd Street Theme” like a ravenous wolf. Richmond gets the spotlight on the statement on racism for “Meditation on Integration” with Dolphy’s flute and Byard’s ivories riding tumultuous crests and crashing tidal waves. A perfect mix of historic tradition and contemporary angst.
The real gem, however, is the concert capturing of Mingus’ last great band of Jack Walrath/tp, George Adams/ts, Don Pullen/p and Richmond for a blistering collection of their material from their two classic albums Changes One and Changes Two. The 32 minute marathon of “Sues Changes” includes a jaw dropping performance by Pullen, whose playing ranges from being rooted in the blues to falling down an elevator shaft. “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love” is wonderfully moody with the changing directions of Adams and Walrath, while “For Harry Carney” is a dark meld of tones with Mingus’ bass lurking around Walrath’s winsome brass and Adams’ muscular shouts. Speaking of Adams, he delivers a visceral vocal on a “Devil Blues” that will make your spine shiver. There are some political themed tunes, with Richmond snapping through “Free Cell Block F, ‘Tis Nazi USA”, driving and shouting like a locomotive with passioned cries by Mingus and Walrath on “Black Bats and Poles” and the team swaying to gospel shouts on a searing “Fables of Faubus”. Few artists could combine a musical sense of tradition with a modern sense of social protest as Mingus, and he does it with the passion of a Holiness preacher here.
Two great bands, separated by time and united by place, thought, and Dannie Richmond.