Customer Reviews
unbeatable mingus selection! - By: jazz convert, 30 Apr 2006 
This is a rarity - a Mingus album with no duff tracks at alll - everything is spot-on.The eclecticism of the music & its execution are breathtaking - if you need music to wake you up, try Boogie Stop Shuffle (so that's where they got the Mission Impossible theme from!).The gentler side of Mingus emerges beautifully on the slower tracks such as Pork Pie Hat.As for the recording - how did they manage such stunning sound? OK,it's remastered, but compare it to Monk CDs from the same time & it leaves them behind - vibrant,balanced,clear & dynamic - a must-buy!
which album has the song right ritious on it?? - By: , 15 Jun 2005 
Help its not a review I am offering BUT I need to know which Mingus cd has the 'Right ritious' song /music on it.
I heard it on the radio the other night, don't know any thing about Mingus but it blew me away. Not even sure I have got the name of the song right. Very jazzy upbeat don't think there were any voices on it can any one help me?? is there a way get the list if songs on the albums up on the screen using Amazon so I can search it out. Help1
Essential - By: , 25 Jul 2004 In a era that produced such original composers as Thelonious Monk & Herbie Nichols , Mingus' approach to composition always seemed more organic & embedded deeper within the roots of jazz than these contemporaries. (Nichols, in particular, had the musical knowledge to look outside of jazz for inspiration.) This is largely compensated by the sheer physical emotion of the music that largely consisted of material based upon the blues. The impact of Mingus is immediate & passionate. On top of this, he was influenced by the music of Duke Ellington & was a great believer in the need for sudden shifts in tempo & mood with which to colour his music. This approach probably reached it's zenith in "Mingus Ah Um" where his group deliever the definative performances of some of his most celebrated tunes.
From the opening gospel inspired number in 6/8 time through to the loving dixieland pastiche dedicated to a certain Mr. Jelly Roll Morton at the end, this is gripping stuff. The music ranges from exciting bebop such as "Boogie Stop Shuffle" through to "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", a threnody to Lester Young.
This is not only an essential purchase for fans of the bassist, but should be in every jazz collection. The whole performance is driven along by the great Dannie Richmond on drums & the energy he provides merits this purchase alone. A true jazz classic.
Mingus at his best - By: The Penguin, 17 Oct 2003 Not much more to say than - Buy this album! - Mingus is reallly at his very best here, quality of the recording is breathtaking, close your eyes, light a cigar & drift off to Chicago!
A must have jazz album - By: , 30 Jun 2001 This rates as one of my top five Jazz albums of alll time. A mix of longer structured pieces with a mid-sized band but tinged with bop-like improvisation & character. If you know alll the classics (the best of Miles, Ellington et al) & are looking for something as good that's a little less well known this is certainly one to go for.
