As opposed to many jazzers, who were saxophonists or trumpeters, Charles Mingus was a bassman. And what a bassman too. His style is beautifully warm and melodic. As a lover of bass I find myself lapping this up.
The album is an inventive, varied one and has a certain unique quality to it. Better Git It In Your Soul is a superbly bassy piece of instrumental improvisation as everyone seems to have free rein, encouraged by occasional shouts from the musicians. The gospelly handclap-saxophone bit is excellent.
This is really incredible stuff for 1959, musically, and in terms of sound quality. The stereo sound is fantastic, just compare it with rock 'n' roll from the same period. Check out those drum too on the wonderful solo just before five minutes in. Those seventies rockers must have used this as a starting point.
The tempo drops on the moving and most atmospheric Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. I love late night, smoky jazz sounds like this with the bass throbbing slowly as the saxophone moans away into the early hours. There is a certain essential, elemental perfection to it.
Boogie Stop Shuffle is a gloriously upbeat number that sounds strangely like the inspiration for the Postman Pat theme. Mingus's bass is just wonderful on this and we are treated to another storming drum solo.
Self Portrait In Three Colors is slow and bassily beautiful too, as now is obligatory. If you listen to this album, you're going to get good bass, I'll shut up about it now. Open Letter To Duke is an impressive merging of fast and slow periods within the same track. Check out the musically light-hearted bit right at the end. This is an album that is far more varied than, say, Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil, that I have also reviewed.
Listen to Mingus's bass rumble and roll on Bird Calls as he really lets rip, within the same genre, the tracks take you here, there and everywhere. The piano on Pussy Cat Dues takes us to the blues.
Mingus was said to have been notoriously irascible and foul-tempered. You would never have guessed it from his music. The bass solo on Fable Of Faubus is a delight.
