Charles Mingus

One of the milestones of the recordings of American bassist Charles Mingus (1922-1979), Mingus at Monterey finds him in 1964 at a mid-point of his career, excelling as an interpreter and composer. Featured at the Monterey Festival for the first time, Mingus, a native Californian, brought his regular quintet plus ringer tenor saxophonist John Handy along to interpret a Duke Ellington melody plus “Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Blue”, then adds a six-person Los Angeles studio group for the nearly 25 minute premiere of “Meditations On Integration”.

More than 60 years after the fact and having access to numerous Mingus sessions since then it’s educational to gauge the audience’s enthusiastic reaction to both the familiar and novel material. During the Ellington medley, which climaxes with a 13½ minute reading of Billy Strayhorn’s “A Train”, then as now probably the most played – and overplayed – composition of the Ellington band, palpable musical excitement is genuinely expressed. While trumpeter Lonnie Hillyer and alto saxophonist turn in expected plunger brass and refined reed interpretative emulations, the real heat is engendered by Handy and specifically pianist Jaki Byard.

Handy’s honking and overblowing confirm the easy forthrightness of the tunes, today sometime splayed by rote, and confirms its musical currents that influenced R&B as well as Jazz. Given his head Byard’s keyboard breath is remarkable. His comping emboldens the trumpeter to supple open horn flutters and the alto saxophonists to split tones and squeaks. Meanwhile his solos encompass Jazz history itself, adding stop-time Stride and Ragtime inferences as well as foot-tapping Bop torrents and always seem on the edge of almost quoting other tunes. On “Orange …” Byard expands colors of the balladic interface to include rolling pulses in mid-range which jump to emphasized tinkles and groaning low pitches. Horn vamps are also intensified here squealing , but not detracting from theme reiteration.

Cultivated Mingus arrangements characterize both that tune and “Mediations …”. Yet the second has the added advantage of Mingus expressing his nearly atonal, yet logical arco sweeps, although the exposition is never so free as to neglect theme recapitulation  – this was 1964 after all – and the piece is further buoyed by keyboard slaps and drum rattles. The kaleidoscopic narrative which moves from dancing to doleful and back again, provides space for slippery insets of  concentrated triplets, flutters and squeaks from the now five-person brass section, positioned keyboard glissandi, saxophone variations and Buddy Collette’s outstanding flute and piccolo cheeps, which add air to the overlapping orchestral parts without being coy or shrill. A tutti crescendo of warbles and  weightiness unite at the climax with presto polyphony.

Just about any Mingus album from this period is worth owning and Mingus at Monterey can certainly be included.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Duke Ellington Medley 1. I’ve Got It Bad  2. In A Sentimental Mood  3. All Too Soon 4. Mood Indigo 5 Sophisticated Lady 6. A Train 7. A Train (Part II) 8. Applause; Mingus comments etc. 9. Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk 10. Introduction to Meditations On Integration 11. Meditations On Integration

Personnel: Lonnie Hillyer, Bobby Bryant, Melvin Moore (trumpet); Lou Blackburn (trombone); Red Callender (tuba); Charles McPherson (alto saxophone); John Handy (tenor saxophone); Buddy Collette (flute, piccolo, alto saxophone); Jack Nimitz (bass clarinet,  baritone saxophone); Jaki Byard (piano); Charles Mingus (bass, piano); Dannie Richmond (drums)