#GreatAlbums1950s – TOP 10 - #CharlesMingus – Mingus Ah Um (1959). The prolific and cantankerous Mingus commanded the post-bop period with this blues and gospel-inflected set of signature pieces, like the exuberant opener “Better Git it in Your Soul,” wordless protest anthem “Fables for Faubus” and the Lester Young tribute “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.” An accessible middle ground between Mingus’s ethereal tone poems of the mid-50s and his knottier dance with the Sinner Lady in ’63.
#GreatAlbums1950s - #CharlesMingus – Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956). Mingus used the metaphor of fossilized Java Man (Pithcanthropus erectus) for a tone poem about the rise and eventual fall of humankind. Saxophonists J.R. Monterose and Jackie McLean (who had a famous punch-up with the wily leader) help to evoke musical film noir on “Foggy Day,” before the quieter “Profile of Jackie” and bop-heavy “Love Chant.” A musical defiance of boundaries – and a sign of things to come.
I never thought I would say this about a #CharlesMingus album, but The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's is not among the best Mingus albums. The recording quality is amazing, but the performance is not up to the standards of most Mingus albums. Of course, any Mingus fan should still get the record. But I don't think it will be a favorite.