Charles Mingus - Mingus Plays Piano - 1963

The performances are largely pretty laid back, Mingus is in a pretty meditative and bluesy mood-- he tackles a few standards, some of his own compositions, and improvisations on brief themes within his music. The best of the material is delicate and lovely ("Myself When I Am Real"), energetic but not aggressive ("Body and Soul") or just stunning ("Orange Was the Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues"). And while it lacks much of the bite, sarcasm, and aggressivenes of some of Mingus' better work, it is in its own way, a stunning album. Highly recommended.

Product Details

* Audio CD (March 25, 1997)
* Original Release Date: July 30, 1963
* Number of Discs: 1
* Format: Original recording remastered
* Label: Grp Records
* ASIN: B000003N9C


Tracks

1. Myself When I Am Real 7:38
2. I Can't Get Started 3:43
3. Body And Soul 4:34
4. Roland Kirk's Message 2:43
5. Memories Of You 4:38
6. She's Just Miss Popular Hybrid 3:11
7. Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues 4:16
8. Meditations For Moses 3:41
9. Old Portrait 3:48
10. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You 3:46
11. Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems And Folklore 8:35

Editorial Reviews
1963 was quite a year for Charles Mingus. He'd already recorded what may be his masterwork in "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" when he returned to the studio to record in a rather unique manner-- as a solo pianist. The result is the stunning and often achingly beautiful "Mingus Plays Piano: Spontaneous Compositions and Improvisations".

Mingus, for someone known as a bassist, is quite a pianist-- his style is heavily indebted to Ellington, but there's also shades of Monk and Powell in his playing. More importantly, though, it's clear Mingus composed at the piano, as the voicings unique to his music are extraordinarily clear on this recording. And it's also clear that had he chosen this path, he'd've been a pianist of some repute.

The performances are largely pretty laid back, Mingus is in a pretty meditative and bluesy mood-- he tackles a few standards, some of his own compositions, and improvisations on brief themes within his music. The best of the material is delicate and lovely ("Myself When I Am Real"), energetic but not aggressive ("Body and Soul") or just stunning ("Orange Was the Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues"). And while it lacks much of the bite, sarcasm, and aggressivenes of some of Mingus' better work, it is in its own way, a stunning album. Highly recommended.






Enjoy!!