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Mingus Dynasty

Charles Mingus - Mingus Dynasty Audio CD

A fair review of the Charles Mingus "Mingus Dynasty" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Charles Mingus reviews here, or go back to the Charles Mingus tabs.

Band: Charles Mingus
Title: Mingus Dynasty
Rating:

Release Date: 1999-02-16
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Slop [Unedited Form] 2: Diane 3: Song With Orange [Unedited Form] 4: Gunslinging Bird [Unedited Form] 5: Things Ain't What They Used to Be [Unedited Form] 6: Far Wells, Mill Valley 7: New Now Know How 8: Mood Indigo 9: Put Me in That Dungeon 10: Strollin' [*]

Another great Mingus album...
It's a good album, but it's firmly in the same style as Ah Um - the gospel-blues "Slop", one of my favorites on the record, has a similar arrangement and melody to "Better Get it in Yo' Soul"; "Diane" is the album's "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"; "Gunslinging Bird" (AKA "If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Lot of Dead Copycats") is akin to "Boogie Stop Shuffle", and so forth. This came out after Mingus Ah Um made Charles Mingus an overnight star. And not all the tunes are up to the standard: "Gunslinging Bird" and "Song with Orange" are standard Mingus, though the latter does work in some fun signature changes; "Far Wells, Mill Valley" is odd, but lacking in the composition department. On the good end, "Slop" is enjoyably chaotic; "Diane" has a gorgeous, aching melody, "New Now, Know How" swings hard, and it's got my favorite version of my favorite Ellington tune, "Things Ain't What They Used to Be"; there's also an emotional version of "Mood Indigo", highlighted by a sparkling piano solo and an even better bass solo. So there is definitely good music to be found on Mingus Dynasty - other than "Far Wells", nothing's at all bad, and much of it is among the best material Mingus ever recorded. A very solid recording, in short, though not in the same rank as its legendary predecessor. .

Mingus in Wonderland

Sonically it's quite similar to Ah Um, though with a larger ensemble. Mingus was on a roll in 1959, recording four of his greatest albums, and if Mingus Dynasty doesn't reach the peaks of Blues and Roots or Mingus Ah Um, it gets pretty darn close. Booker Ervin, John Handy, Jimmy Knepper, and Dannie Richmond return fromt hat album, but Roland Hanna takes over the piano chair and this time the group includes a trumpet (either Don Ellis or Richard Williams). Jerome Richardson plays flute and baritone sax, and Teddy Charles adds vibes to a few of the tracks. The last tune ("Put Me in That Dungeon") adds cellos to great effect.

As on Ah Um, the ensemble explores a wide range of styles, maybe even wider. It really shows off Mingus's breadth as a composer. "Slop" is another gospel-jazz piece in the mode of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" with a fantastic piano "sermon" by Hanna. "Diane" starts out with a dissonant, nearly orchestral introduction before settling into a gorgeous piano trio section. (This tune appears as "Alice in Wonderland" on the Mingus album Jazz Portraits. ) The album includes Mingus's first recorded explorations of the Duke Ellington canon, with "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and a majestic "Mood Indigo". "Far Wells Mill Valley" is another semi-orchestral piece, almost cinematic in scope. "Gunslinging Bird" has an intense, hypnotic riff.

This is one of my favorite Mingus albums, especially because it highlights his abilities as a composer and arranger (though his genius as a bassist is also on display, especially on "Mood Indigo"). If you like Blues & Roots and Mingus Ah Um, this is a logical next step in your Mingus collection.

Gunslinging Mingus
It is hard for me to grade the albums of the great Charles Mingus - so many of them are perfect or near perfection and this is a fine example, indeed!
I don't find it in any way lesser achievement than "Mingus Ah Um", and the only fault I can find in this collection of newly polished and restored gems is the additional number "Strollin'" (vocals in Mingus' work are often. . Ah. . . Um. . . Sloppy).

I lack the words to describe the genius of this true Ellington of modern jazz and it is very hard to me to pick favorite songs - beautiful "Diane" or "Far Wells, Mills Valley", glorious "Gunslinging Bird" or brilliant versions of Ellington's numbers ("Mood Indigo", "Things Ain't what they used to be". . . ). . .

Perfect!

p. s.
Two great ensembles Mingus plays with on this illustrious cd consist of:

A - Richard Williams (tp), Jimmy Knepper (tb), John Handy (as), Booker Ervin, Benny Golson (ts), Jerome Richardson (bs), Teddy Charles (vb), Roland Hanna (p), Dannie Richmond (dm); with Honey Gordon (vo) on "Strollin'" and Nico Bunink instead of Hanna on "New Now Know How" and "Strollin'".

B - Don Ellis (tp), J. Knepper (tb), J. Handy (as), B. Ervin (ts), R. Hanna (p), D. Richmond (dm); with Maurice Brown and Seymour Barab playin cello on "Slop" and "Put Me in That Dungeon".

Somewhat less than "Ah Um".
Still, when taken on its own, its a decent record. "Mingus Dynasty", Charles Mingus' followup to "Mingus Ah Um", is similar in form to its predecessor, but suffers the unfortunate fate of being the followup to a brilliant album, and as is usually the case, it falls short.

Mingus again augmented his working band for the two sessions this was recorded during, using as many as ten instruments at times including vibes (Teddy Charles), extra reeds (Jermone Richardson on tenor and Jerome Richardson on baritone), brass (Richard Williams or Don Ellis on trumpet and Jimmy Knepper on trombone) to his then working band (John Handy on alto, Booker Ervin on tenor, Roland Hanna on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums, with the leader handling bass duties). On some tracks, Mingus further augmented the band with a pair of cellos. All of these instruments result in a rather grand sound that sometimes gets a bit too busy, and I found the pieces I enjoyed most involved more stripped down performances. Take "Diane"-- it starts with rising and falling horns, arco bass, and a lot of interplay, but it's when the piece settles down, with Mingus, accompanied only by Hanna and Richmond, stating the theme that the piece is really powerful. Unfortunately, it's bookended by somewhat cluttered ensemble playing (although the shades of "Eclipse" in the coda are quite evocative).

On the other hand, some of the material that sticks to a big band sound (the churning "Gunslinging Bird", standards "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and "Mood Indigo"-- the latter featuring fantastic soloing from both Knepper and Mingus) and one piece that sounds positively orchestral ("Far Wells, Mill Valley") all work out quite nicely, it's the material that sounds more like Mingus' small group work ("Slop", "Song With Orange") that just feels too busy with the extra horns.

As such though, "Mingus Dynasty" is an uneven effort, and Mingus has done much better. Check "Ah Um" for an intro, and if you like that, this might be a good second or third place, even though Mingus has done better records.

Love the Mingus!

The great compositions are very catchy. Mingus Dynasty is a very solid album from Mingus' jazz group's peak years. Very upbeat and moving. Very emotional in the playing so that you really feel it.

Mingus' albums seem to have a very electric feel to it. He always seems lively and spirited, bordering on chaotic at times.

If you're new to jazz or new to Mingus, this is a good place to start, though I'd probably check out Mingus Ah Um first, and maybe this one second. .

You can see a complete list of all Charles Mingus discography, or go back to the Charles Mingus tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.