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Charles Mingus Sextet - Cornell 1964 Audio CD

A fair review of the Charles Mingus Sextet "Cornell 1964" 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 Sextet reviews here, or go back to the Charles Mingus Sextet tabs.

Charles Mingus Sextet Band: Charles Mingus Sextet
Title: Cornell 1964
Rating:
Release Date: 2007-07-17
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Opening 2: Atfw You 3: Sophisticated Lady 4: Fables of Faubus 5: Orange Wat the Colour of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk 6: Take the "A" Train 7: Meditations 8: So Long Eric 9: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling 10: Jitterbug Waltz

Good god.
The best of Mingus' studio records have the same effect - raw, hard, deeply entrenched in blues. I have never heard music that was more filled with life than the music on here. But this recording is special - we get a rare glimpse of how Mingus was as a stage entertainer, cracking jokes with the audience and yelling out encouragement in the middle of someone's solo. It's simply an incredibly recording. The musicianship is unbelievable, and the music runs wildly out of control at times only to be reigned back in a second later. Jaki Byard is a maniac on the keys. Dolphy is his usual virtuosically insane self. The guys were all having FUN. Funness is occasionally forgotten about in the sombre face of jazz, but that's what it's all about.

Get this record.


I Was There,and What Memories It Brings Back
I had been blown away by Mingus' records since 1961, and wouldn't have missed it for the world. I traveled by bus to Cornell from my college in Binghamton NY to attend this concert. I was the jazz disc jockey for my small college radio station. It is one of my most indelible memories of years of listening to jazz. I can't improve on the positive comments of the other reviewers of this CD, except to say AMEN. This is not the greatest Mingus recording. There are a dozen that equal it, but you cannot go wrong by getting this CD. One "Mingus story" I want to share is that half way through the concert, Mingus started to pound the pointed leg of his bass hard into the stage, saying the stage surface was slippery and his bass was slipping. I don't know if this tactic worked, but I'm sure the marks were in the stage for quite some time. In my opinion, I find this music superior to any of the recordings made by this group in Europe a month later. .


Unmissable.

The music is scorchingly good, endlessly inventive, full of surprises and played with a fire that only rarely makes it onto record. This is a brilliant, magnificent, previously unreleased and recently discovered recording of Charles Mingus's greatest band - or at least one of them - playing live at Cornell University, shortly before the European tour, in March 1964.
The only caveat is that the remarkable sextet in question was extensively documented, performing much the same repertoire. It included Eric Dolphy - one of the supreme jazz figures of the era - on flute, alto and bass clarinet in towering form throughout on extended versions of "Fable of Faubus" and "Meditations", but the rest of the group are not far behind.
If you don't already know mid-'60s Mingus, this double CD is an excellent place to begin. The band, which also boasted Jaki Byard on piano, Johnny Coles trumpet, and Clifford Jordan, tenor, was evidently feeling euphoric that night and the sound is excellent.
And then there's Mingus himself, playing at the top of his form.
Even those who already have a row of recordings by this very ensemble may be tempted by, for example, the wild, impromptu version of "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" played by Mingus for the first and last time in honour of St Patrick's Day.
Unmissable.


Charles Mingus Cornell 1964
In short, this was one of the great Mingus bands.
Clifford Jordan, Eric Dolphy, Johnny Coles, Jaki Byard, and of course, the powerhouse team of Mingus and Richmond. It was also sadly, short-lived with the departure of Eric Dolphy, who died not long after, then the hospitalization of the Johnny Coles (shamelessly under-recorded) and not long after, the departure of Clifford Jordan.
While this is an outstanding two disc set, I still prefer the Legendary Paris Concerts recorded just one month later.
Having said that, I should add that this is an outstanding album, capturing one of the best bands Mingus ever put together.
To those who don't know of Mingus, this record is a good starting point.


Excellent musicianship, fun and playfull
Jackie Byard's piano solos are worth the price in gold. OMG, this is wonderful music. He includes so many nuances, tidbits of memories, and incorporates the whole Americana. Mr. Mingus's bass is thumping and pushing the musicians far beyond what I have heard in the past. How about Jonny Coles? What can I say, his tone is clear and he puts in 110%. Eric Dolphy's solos are great, and even Danny Richmond gets some too! All this, plus it swings! This is 5 star all the way! A welcome addition to my collection.


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

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