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| |  | > Annie | Home » » Ah Um 50th Anniversary (Legacy Edition) | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Jazz, gospel, swing, blues...it's Mingus music! Charles Mingus's 1959 Columbia sessions were both a summation of his diverse work up to that point and a bold step forward, for it was the year when at last he had the opportunity to sign with a major label and work with an old friend and musical collaborator, Teo Macero. There was no stopping this incredible musical mind who'd found his voice as a bassist, composer and bandleader. The bands that Mingus assembled at Columbia's 30th Street studio in May and November '59 consisted of the greatest exponents of his music to date, featuring sidemen Jimmy Knepper, John Handy, Booker Ervin, Horace Parlan and Dannie Richmond. These 1959 sessions, which resulted in MINGUS AH UM and MINGUS DYNASTY, introduced several classics that would become evergreens in the bassist's repertoire and jazz standards for the rest of us: "Better Git It In Your Soul," "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and "Fables Of Faubus," plus homages to jazz greats Ellington ("Open Letter To Duke")--with whom Mingus is most frequently (and fairly) compared for the vastness, depth and diversity of his recordings--and Morton ("Jelly Roll"), jazz's first great composer. This landmark edition collects on 2 CDs what can be singled out as the definitive Mingus--not only a stand out in perhaps jazz's greatest year but also music that had a seminal influence on jazz and rock thinking in the '60s and beyond ... | | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| May 26, 2009 | | Studio:
| Sony Legacy | | Number Of Discs:
| 2 | | Format:
| Enhanced | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 1 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | Disc: 1 | | | 1. | Better Git It In Your Soul | | 2. | Goodbye Pork Pie Hat | | 3. | Boogie Stop Shuffle | | 4. | Self-Portrait In Three Colors | | 5. | Open Letter To Duke | | 6. | Bird Calls | | 7. | Fables Of Faubus | | 8. | Pussy Cat Dues | | 9. | Jelly Roll | | 10. | Pedal Point Blues | | 11. | GG Train | | 12. | Girl Of My Dreams | | 13. | Bird Calls (Alternate) | | | Disc: 2 | | | 1. | Better Git It In Your Soul (Alternate) | | 2. | Jelly Roll (Alternate) | | 3. | Slop | | 4. | Diane | | 5. | Song With Orange | | 6. | Gunslinging Bird | | 7. | Things Ain't What They Used To Be | | 8. | Far Wells, Mill Valley | | 9. | New Now Know How | | 10. | Mood Indigo | | 11. | Put Me In That Dungeon | | 12. | Strollin' | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
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27 of 27 found the following review helpful:
MINGUS AH UM:50th ANNIVERSARYMay 26, 2009
Two discs 77 and 74 minutes each approximately. The sound is extraordinarily good,with open spaces between the instruments,which are crisp and clean. In addition,Mingus' voice can be heard very clearly (he sometimes shouts a bit when playing) in this music. The booklet has notes written by Michael Cuscuna. There is a track-by-track explanation,which gives much insight into this great music. Also included are quite a few nice photographs of the group in the studio. There is also a PDF file that can be accessed for more insight into this album.
This album,along with 1960's MINGUS DYNASTY (included here) is some of the best music Mingus ever released. The musicians who play here are some of the best jazz musicians in history. Names like John Handy,Booker Ervin,Jimmy Knepper,Dannie Richmond,and Roland Hanna make up most (but not all) of the group(s) for these two fine recordings.
Most Mingus listeners will already have these two albums in their collection,but having both in one package,with great sound is hard to pass up. For the uninitiated,this is jazz that belongs in your library,and should be your next purchase.
There are three bonus tracks appended to the 1959 release MINGUS AH UM-"Pedal Point Blues","GG Train",and "Girl of My Dreams". There are also three AH UM alternate tracks-"Bird Calls","Better Git It In Your Soul",and "Jelly Roll". The album MINGUS DYNASTY has one bonus track,"Srollin' (Nostalgia In Times Square)". This last track has a vocal by Honey Gordon,the daughter of one of Mingus' friends,Nat Gordon,who wrote lyrics for the piece.
Together,these two albums contain some of Mingus' most intricate and imaginatively scored parts for the various musicians. The fine producer Teo Macero worked with Mingus,bringing out some of Mingus' best writing. MINGUS AH UM was the better of the two albums,with the second not quite as intense as the first release. But both are landmark jazz albums,along with quite a number (BLUES AND ROOTS for one) of other Mingus albums. The combination of Mingus' writing and the high caliber of musicians heard here is unbeatable. This is timeless jazz which anyone who has a liking for jazz needs to hear. It's as simple as that.
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