Product Description

Charles Mingus led some outstanding ensembles, but one of the most formidable was the group he assembled in the early 1960s for a tour of Europe. CORNELL 1964 features that group in action on two discs of previously unreleased material. With Dannie Richmond on drums, Jaki Bayard on piano, Clifford Jordan on tenor sax, Johnny Coles on trumpet, and the great Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet, flute, and saxophone, Mingus'ssextet--especially on the evidence of the performances here--ranks as one of the best of the post-bop era.
Mingus's bold, complex compositions are brought to full flower by theinterplay of the musicians, and what dazzles throughout is their equal command of elegant melodic passages and wild, forward-leaning improvisation. The standards here--"Take the ATrain;" "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"--receive a similar treatment. The performances are stellar across the board, but Dolphy stands out in particular, wheeling through solos withimaginative dexterity and wit. This set is a must for Mingus fans, but merits a listen from jazz fans of any stripe.

Track Listing

1. ATFW You ATFW You
2. Sophisticated Lady
3. Fables Of Faubus
4. Orange Was The Colour Of Her Dress Then Blue Silk
5. Take The A Train
6. Meditations
7. So Long Eric
8. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
9. Jitterbug Waltz

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49932 in Music
• Released on: 2007-07-02
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Live
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Customer Reviews

1964
Another very welcome addition to Mingus' 1964 music, written for a European tour which went ahead for the most part without trumpeter Johnny Coles who took ill.The 1964 music is amongst the very best composed by Mingus(music containing elements of all eras in the idiom) and this cd offers a chance to hear the music as it was intended (with Coles' trumpet) in a concert which premiers the material at Cornell University a few weeks before the tour.The Great Concert cd, I think, is the best available recording from this tour(it features extended bop masterpiece Parkeriana, sadly not performed at Cornell), but this is a great companion to that disc.

Lost Masterpiece
A great Mingus band recorded at a performance in 1964 that was only recently discovered by his wife Sue and released by Blue Note to coincide with what would have been his 85th birthday.

A double CD which swings like a band having a good time - one of the last recordings by Eric Dolphy and a memorable testament to how good jazz can sound live and well recorded.