Showing posts with label Charles Mingus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charles Mingus. Show all posts

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Sonny Simmons' Unsung Genuis



There are a lot of Sonny’s in jazz.  It takes more than few clicks to scroll through my IPod library from Sonny Clark to Sonny Stitt.  Tonight I added a couple of albums by alto sax man Sonny Simmons.  Simmons has by God paid his dues.  He was born in 1933 and played with a number of jazz greats in the 1960’s, including Mingus, Dolphy, and Elvin Jones.  Then he disappeared for a couple of decades, apparently living on the streets for a spell.  He reemerged in the mid 90’s. 
Simmons is described in the Penguin Guide as one of the most underappreciated jazz masters.  From what I have been listening to, I am inclined to agree. 
I am playing cuts from the two albums both recorded in 1966.  The Penguin Guide suggests Music from the Spheres as the first Simmons album you ought to have.  It is certainly a robust new thing document, leaving no doubt that you are listening to an alto virtuoso and a compositional genius.  I am playing ‘Zarak’s Symphony’ and ‘Dolphy’s Days’.  The latter is a superb bit of chameleon jazz.  You want Eric Dolphy?  I can be Eric Dolphy!  From Discogs, here is the lineup:

1.       Alto Saxophone, Written-By – Sonny Simmons
2.      Bass – Juney Booth*
3.      Drums – James Zitro
4.      Piano – Michael Cohen (2)
5.      Trumpet – Barbara Donald

I am also playing ‘Metamorphosis’ from Staying on the Watch.  If Simmons was very explicitly channeling Dolphy in the other album, here he is evidently channeling Ornette Coleman. 

1.       Alto Saxophone – Sonny Simmons
2.      Bass – Teddy Smith
3.      Percussion – Marvin Pattillo
4.      Piano – John Hicks
5.      Trumpet – Barbara Donald

This is very energetic, compelling avant garde jazz.  The piano work by Hicks has to be noted as brilliant.  I haven’t yet heard any of Simmons’ later work.  I will be hunting. 

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Mingus & Me

One of the albums I bought when first the jazz bug bit was Charles Mingus, Three or Four Shades of Blue.  At the time I was very interested in jazz guitar.  The album appealed to me chiefly because of the presence of Larry Coryell, Philip Catherine, and John Scofield.  I can't say that I really had any clue about Mingus at the time and anyway the album is a pretty atypical in the selection of instruments.  It has a much more seventies, fusion feel than one associates with Mingus.  

However, it is pure Mingus in the power of the arrangements.  This album was also the beginning of an enduring love for Mingus' composition 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.'  I have uploaded that song.  Here is the solo order for that one song, thanks to Discogs:
Soloist [1st] – George Mraz Soloist [2nd] – Larry Coryell Soloist [3rd] – Philip Catherine Soloist [4th] – George Coleman Soloist [5th] – Charles Mingus Soloist [6th] – Larry Coryell, Philip Catherine
Meanwhile, I have been yearning to do another post on Booker Ervin.  Ervin was a wonderful tenor player with a fine number of recordings that no one but yours truly seems to know about.  I won't do it now, but I did post MDM (Monk, Duke, and Me) from Mingus' album MingusHere is the lineup:

Saturday, January 23, 2010

The Passions of a Mingus CENSORED

Note: due to objections from the music industry, the music samples have been removed.  

I have been listening my way through the 41 tracks on Charlie Mingus' Passions of a Man.  I am thinking that is not only the definitive Mingus collection, but one of the great treasures of modern jazz.  Mingus clearly had that genius that most distinguishes jazz: the ability to dig deeply into the veins of various musical traditions, pull out the ore, and melt and mix it into jewels worthy of any crown.  I also suspect that Mingus rates as the second greatest small group leader, surpassed only by Miles Davis.  So what if he was nuts? 

Another reason this collection is priceless is that it includes so many great jazz masters.  I have almost everything Eric Dolphy recorded under his own name.  Now I have more Dolphy.  Good.  In addition, there is Jackie McLean, Pepper Adams, Mal Waldron, Horace Parlan, and Bud Powell.

Passions of a Man includes  
  1. Pithecanthropus Erectus,  
  2. The Clown,  
  3. Blues and Roots,  
  4. Mingus at Antibes,  
  5. Oh Yeah, and  
  6. Tonight at Noon.  
All of them are good, but numbers 1 and 4  are worth their weight in gold.  Mingus at Antibes is one of the finest live jazz recordings.  Ted Curson (tp) Eric Dolphy (as, bcl) Booker Ervin (ts -1/4,6) Bud Powell (p -6) Charles Mingus (b, p -1/5, b -6) Dannie Richmond (d).  Here is a sample:
Prayer for Passive Resistance
And on the recording Oh Yeah, there is Booker Ervin and Roland Kirk.  I have pushed Booker Ervin pretty hard on this blog.  I think he is one of the most under-appreciated geniuses in the business.  Roland Kirk is better appreciated, but I have pushed him as well. Also on the album are Jimmy Knepper on trombone, Doug Watkins on bass, and Dannie Richmond on drums.  Here is a sample:
Hog Calling Blues
This is a long post, but I am not out of steam yet.  A second box set of Mingus available is The Complete 1959 Columbia Recordings.  This is a three disc set with Mingus' magnum opus, Mingus Ah Um, Mingus Dynasty, and a third disc with alternative takes from the first two.  If you don't have the first two, this is a reasonable purchase from eMusic (28 credits).  If you do have them, you can always download the third disc.

Mingus Ah Um is one of the core recordings in any good jazz library.  Mingus Dynasty is almost as toe-curling good.  The band: Richard Williams (tp) Jimmy Knepper (tb) Jerome Richardson (fl, bars) John Handy (as) Booker Ervin, Benny Golson (ts) Teddy Charles (vib -1/5) Roland Hanna (p -1/5) Nico Bunick (p -6) Charles Mingus (b) Dannie Richmond (d, timp).  Booker Ervin again, and Roland Hanna!  Here is one last delicious sample:
Censored
Well, that's a pretty good bunch of Mingus.  I can't resist mentioning another album available from eMusic.  The Town Hall Concert (1964) consists of two very long, very fine recordings.  eMusic has it for, well, two credits.  More Eric Dolphy.  More brilliant jazz.

Okay, that's enough work for one Friday night.  Here in the Dakotas, ice and snow are coming in.  Mingus is keeping me warm.  If you like what I am doing, drop me a line.