All right - you caught me. I included this one for only two reasons. First, the '60s modern, geometric cover art looks perfect next to "Time Out". Second, 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat'. What a composition, and what a tremendously soulful sax solo (John Handy?). I think those are reasons enough.There's also a great (although quite different) version of 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat' on Joni Mitchell's album "Shadows and Light". She puts beautiful lyrics to the solo captured on Mingus' album, and performs live with the band of bands from the '70s, which included Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Don Alias, and Michael Brecker. What a lineup - and what a great album!
Other Charles Mingus albums in the "Basic Jazz Library":
Mercurial bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus was signed to Columbia Records for the briefest of time during 1959. His Columbia recordings, however, remain some of the most inspired, mood-jumping jazz in history. The flowing sadness of 'Goodbye Porkpie Hat' (unedited here for the first time on CD!) rings like a funeral chorus that pitches headlong into a celebration of Lester Young's life and improvising flexibility, rather than his death. And there's the funky furnace blast of 'Boogie Stop Shuffle' (also unedited!), which reaches its glory with Booker Ervin's Texas tenor sax, wrapped tight in bluesy tone. With the index of emotions captured, these songs nail why Mingus is possibly the most relevant jazzer for the '90s generation. He swings and shouts and hollers and somersaults. His tunes either induce foot-stomping with their intensity or reach for poignant yearning with their lyrical tapestry of orchestral colors.
--Andrew Bartlett
One of the five essential Mingus albums to own, and even if you are not a jazz fan this is still worthy of being in any comprehensive collection. The opening track, "Better Git It In Your Soul," rushes along at a furious pace and then there is a wonderful change of tempo into an a cappella and handclap pause. It rolls on, of course, but the nature of this track reflects the nature of Mingus who never failed to experiment (even though sometimes he failed). The personnel comprises John Handy III, Shafi Hadi and Booker Ervin (saxophones), Horace Parlan Jr (piano), Willie Dennis and James Knepper (trombones)and Charles Richmond (drums). Mingus whoops, shouts and holds it all together and then turns the pace majestically on numbers such as "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat".
Session:
Producer: Teo Macero.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at 30th Street Studio, New York, New York on May 5 & 12, 1959. Includes liner notes by Diane Dorr-Dorynek and Brian Priestley.
Digitally remastered using 20-bit technology by Mark Wilder and Rob Schwarz (Sony Music Studios, New York, New York).
| Guest Artist: | Horace Parlan; Booker Ervin; Dannie Richmond |
|---|---|
| Engineer: | Ray Moore; Fred Plaut |
| Original Release: | 1959 |
| Number of Discs: | 1 |
| Record Label PN: | 65512 |
| Recorded: | Studio |
| Channels: | Stereo |
Personnel:
| Charles Mingus | piano, bass | |
|---|---|---|
| John Handy | alto & tenor saxophones, clarinet | |
| Shafi Hadi | alto & tenor saxophones | |
| Booker Ervin | tenor saxophone | |
| Jimmy Knepper | trombone | |
| Willie Dennis | trombone | |
| Horace Parlan | piano | |
| Dannie Richmond | drums |
Tracks:
- Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul
- Goodbye Pork Pie Hat [Unedited Form]
- Boogie Stop Shuffle [Unedited Form]
- Self-Portrait in Three Colors
- Open Letter to Duke [Unedited Form]
- Bird Calls [Unedited Form]
- Fables of Faubus
- Pussy Cat Dues
- Jelly Roll
- Pedal Point Blues [*]
- GG Train [*]
- Girl of My Dreams [*]
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