Charles Mingus - Mingus Revisited (aka Pre-Bird) (1961)

...and SGTG revisited - hello again everyone.  Starting back up right where this blog left off as we're into Mingus' centenary year as of a few weeks ago, so perfect time to dive into his great catalogue afresh (all previous links below).  Today's album was originally titled Pre-Bird, on account of its music being composed prior to Mingus' exposure to Charlie Parker.  The LP featured a side of short but still intriguing pieces and a side of lengtheir tracks, the closing Half-Mast Inhibition rendered by a 22-piece ensemble conducted by Gunther Schuller.

In addition to his own writing, each original album side kicked off with an ingenious arrangement of two well-known contrasting melodies, based on similar harmonic material therefore ripe for interpolation.  We thus get Take The A Train combined with Exactly Like You to open the record, and later Do Nothing Til You Hear From Me against I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart.  Another highlight of the first side is the inclusion of two vocal pieces, Eclipse and Weird Nightmare, their off-beam and slightly unsettling melodies sung by the otherwise unknown Lorraine Cousins.  All in all, another pleasingly odd and very rewarding Mingus album.  Coming up later in the week - an end-of-life tribute to the great man, to continue marking his centenary.

"Pre-Bird" original LP cover, 1961

link

pw: sgtg

Previously posted at SGTG:

East Coasting
Jazz Portraits: Mingus In Wonderland 

Mingus Ah Um & Mingus Dynasty 
Oh Yeah

Tijuana Moods
The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady  
Mingus Plays Piano  
Let My Children Hear Music

Mingus Moves
Changes One & Two
Cumbia & Jazz Fusion
plus:  

The Quintet: Jazz At Massey Hall
Blue Moods  
Money Jungle  
BBC Proms Tribute by Metropole Orkest