Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (2015 Music On Vinyl 180g Remastered LP)

Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um Vinyl LP - 2015 Music On Vinyl 180g Remastered Stereo Reissue

Charles Mingus' 1959 masterpiece stands as one of jazz's most celebrated albums, the bassist/composer leading a nine-piece ensemble through eight compositions that balance hard bop intensity with sophisticated orchestration and social commentary. The album includes some of Mingus' most famous works: the gospel-infused "Better Git It In Your Soul", the elegiac "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (his tribute to Lester Young), and "Fables Of Faubus" (protesting Arkansas governor Orval Faubus' opposition to school integration). Featuring an exceptional lineup including saxophonists John Handy, Booker Ervin, and Shafi Hadi, trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis, pianist Horace Parlan, and drummer Dannie Richmond, the session demonstrates Mingus' genius for composing music that demands both technical excellence and emotional commitment. Released in 2015 by Music On Vinyl and distributed by Columbia/Legacy, this European remastered reissue was pressed at Record Industry on 180g vinyl.

Mingus' compositional approach creates frameworks that balance written precision with collective improvisation, his arrangements incorporating elements from gospel, blues, classical music, and jazz traditions. His bass playing anchors the ensemble while functioning as melodic voice, his instrument leading as much as supporting. Dannie Richmond's drumming, developed through years of collaboration with Mingus, provides both propulsive swing and sensitive accompaniment, while the horn arrangements create textures ranging from intimate small group interplay to full ensemble passages.

The album's emotional range spans the joyous exuberance of "Better Git It In Your Soul" through the melancholy beauty of "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" to the political anger of "Fables Of Faubus", each composition revealing different facets of Mingus' musical and personal vision. His willingness to address social issues through instrumental jazz was unusual for 1959, the album combining artistic achievement with political consciousness.