Customer Reviews

Don't Be Afraid: The Music of Charles Mingus

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When I think of Charles Mingus, I think primarily of sextet and septet settings. But his writing was so rich and full that there is plenty for a big band arranger to chew on. In fact his widow, Sue Mingus, has kept the Mingus Big Band going since the early `90s. Thus inspired, Wynton Marsalis decided to put his Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra to the test on a program of Mingus tunes arranged by trombonist Ron Westray, and the result as heard on Don't Be Afraid... is a marvelous musical feast.

It's hard to generate the spontaneity and abandon so crucial to Mingus' music with a fifteen piece band, but Westray and Marsalis have succeeded in producing a remarkable approximation. The players are some of the best on the New York scene, and the arrangements manage to show the wit, irreverence, tumultuous cacophony and simultaneous harmonic complexity without resorting to outright mimickry. It's a courageous feat that succeeds spectacularly.

Eschewing obvious hits like "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and "Better Git It in Your Soul" from Mingus Ah Um in favor of the seldom heard "Don't Be Afraid, the Clown's Afraid Too" from Let My Children Hear Music and three tunes---"Dizzy Moods," "Tijuana Gift Shop," and "Los Mariachis"---from New Tijuana Moods, Marsalis and company explore the vast richness found in the legendary bassman's songbook. Two lengthy suites, "Black Saint & the Sinner Lady (parts 1 & 2)" and "Meditation on Integration," serve as the soulful heart of this recording, challenging the listener while displaying the invigorating compositional intricacies that can be unleashed in a jazz context.

Anything that brings the music of Charles Mingus to a wider audience is OK with me. In this case, the rewards are many for those willing to open their ears. --Jim Newsom

Originally published in Port Folio Weekly - January 10, 2006
Copyright 2006 Port Folio Weekly. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

Once again the LCJO has surpassed my expectations. Don't Be Afraid...The Music Of Charles Mingus is truly a classic. Ron Westray's arrangements of both Don't Be Afraid, The Clown's Afraid Too and The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady are outstanding. It is evident that he truly invested time and effort in putting together all of the arrangements. The orchestra sounds amazing. One of my favorite tunes is Los Mariachis. I love the interplay between the orchestra and soloists. This recording truly captures the emotional depth of Mingus and his music.

I never thought the music of Charles Mingus could be made to sound so unemotional. The performance is lifeless compared to any of the originals. Wynton Marsalis's latest effort to score a historical piece for an orchestra again fails. As with Coltrane's A Love Supreme, the original small group performance set the bar very high. That is not to say that any attempt to score these works is a guarenteed failure (see many recordings by the Mingus Big Band). The reason these works fail along with many other of Marsalis's are due to a lact of emotional fire, and originality (the artist must at least attempt to provide some personal statement to the piece, or all you can to is compare it to the original).

This is just another bland recording from Wynton Marsalis. AS compared to the recordings of the Mingus Big Band, these tracks are unemotional and poorly executed, despite the talented band personnel. It is more about "big band" than it is about Mingus and as such this CD lacks character, emotion and doesn't reflect much understanding of Mingus' music. Pass this one by and try the Mingus Big Band recordings if you want to hear another take on Mingus' composing.

AT FIRST I WAS afraid, and then I wasn't anymore, so I bought this!!! Wynton is one of the finest products of jazz appreciation and jazz education that exist today!!! I am thankful that he is still with us because way too many of our jazz geniuses are NOT!!!