Customer Reviews

Mingus Dynasty

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mingus was a great admirer of Duke Ellington and played in the latter's band until a notorious onstage fight with Juan Tizol. This album contains a variety of Mingus sounds, but much of the feeling is rooted in Ellington. This is especially true on "Song with Orange," "Things Ain't What They Used To Be," and, of course, "Mood Indigo."

The opener, "Slop (what a great title!)" is in the tradition of other aggressive blues/gospel inspired pieces like "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting," and "Better Git It Into Your Soul." There are some familiar Mingus motifs, but Mingus "owns" this kind of song--no one does it better.

"Diane" begins with some "classical" piano which is a little overly dramatic at times. However, three minutes into it, Roland Hanna breaks into a soft Bill-Evans like mode, with excellent brush- and cymbal-work by the always-magnificent Dannie Richmond. It's an ambitious, beautiful, piece and mostly successful. "Gunslinging Bird," (the full title, as Mingus states in the excellent liner notes, is "If Charlie Parker Were a Gunslinger There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats"), seems to play Bird as one baad dude.

"Things Ain't What They Used To Be," (written by Mercer Ellington, Duke's son) is relatively straight ahead jazz and borrows elements from Ellington and Basie. The next two numbers are also fairly straight, but are a little disappointing: Except for an intriguing middle sandwiched between a "Sketches of Spain"-like arrangement, "Far Well, Mill Valley" is less challenging than the other cuts (as is also track 7, "New Now Know How.")

The CD closes strong with 3 great tracks: "Mood Indigo," with its great, driving piano and bass playing, the short, interesting "Put Me in That Dungeon," and "Strollin,'" which features vocals by Honey Gordon (sounding wonderfully similar to Ella). This cut was not on the original LP.

Mingus uses Hanna quite extensively on the album, and his contributions are enormous. Jimmy Knepper (trombone) and Booker Ervin (tenor sax) also shine, but really the entire lineup is excellent. ("Pithecanthropus Erectus," by the way, highlights Mingus' bass playing more than does "Mingus Dynasty.") This CD shows the Mingus dynamic within a large group format, and it gets better and better with every hearing. There are the original liner notes, plus additional notes by biographer Brian Priestley, and some excellent photos of Mingus playing and relaxing. Even if you're a Mingus fan with most of his CDs, this is a worthwhile addition.

First off, I really like this CD. I've been listening to jazz since I was a kid and this recording encompasses all that I enjoy in the jazz genre.

I like this set because it is full of surprises - surprises in mood, styles, tempo, keys, and even the spontaneous holler. Ming (he IS one-quarter Chinese) and his largish combos dip their toes and then dive headlong into several jazz styles including bop, straight ahead, slow 'n sultry, solos, horn combos, and even occasionally atonal.

I like this CD because I can hear Mingus play his bass!

I like playing this CD as background at my wine and cheese parties to guide novices unwittingly into all the wonderful flavors of jazz without scaring them (with hard bop) or boring them with mass market cuts. But I really like listening to it alone on Sunday afternoons when I find that each layer I peel reveals to me another to look forward to uncovering the next Sunday afternoon.

In summary, this CD is an encyclopedia, in that it opens the minds of those locked in single styles and artists, with a superb range of textures, tempos, and tunes. And better, it confirms what the jazz sophisticate already knows...when it comes to pleasant surprises and artistic execution, Ming is king.

This is an excellent album. The remastering by Columbia is superb, as well.

This album has a similar feel to it's more famous predecessor, AH UM, but is in no means inferior. The intensity of this music is unmatched.

Songs such as "Strollin'," the humorous "Slop," and "Song With Orange" drive along with a swagger and strut associated only with Mingus' powerful bass.

The song title of "Gunslinging Bird" was shortened from "If Charlie Parker Were A Gunslinger, There Would Be A Whole Lot Of Dead Copy Cats," at the request of Columbia Records.

"Mood Indigo" is a Duke Ellington classic. Mingus takes on this daunting piece with fervor, encouraging his brass players to wheel off tenacious solos.

A wonderful companion to AH UM, but certainly does stand on it's own ground.

Masterful.

It is hard for me to grade the albums of the great Charles Mingus - so many of them are perfect or near perfection and this is a fine example, indeed!
I don't find it in any way lesser achievement than "Mingus Ah Um", and the only fault I can find in this collection of newly polished and restored gems is the additional number "Strollin'" (vocals in Mingus' work are often...Ah...Um...Sloppy).

I lack the words to describe the genius of this true Ellington of modern jazz and it is very hard to me to pick favorite songs - beautiful "Diane" or "Far Wells, Mills Valley", glorious "Gunslinging Bird" or brilliant versions of Ellington's numbers ("Mood Indigo", "Things Ain't what they used to be"...)...

Perfect!

p.s.
Two great ensembles Mingus plays with on this illustrious cd consist of:

A - Richard Williams (tp), Jimmy Knepper (tb), John Handy (as), Booker Ervin, Benny Golson (ts), Jerome Richardson (bs), Teddy Charles (vb), Roland Hanna (p), Dannie Richmond (dm); with Honey Gordon (vo) on "Strollin'" and Nico Bunink instead of Hanna on "New Now Know How" and "Strollin'".

B - Don Ellis (tp), J. Knepper (tb), J. Handy (as), B. Ervin (ts), R. Hanna (p), D. Richmond (dm); with Maurice Brown and Seymour Barab playin cello on "Slop" and "Put Me in That Dungeon"

mingus' work was, as always, not standard jazz work at the time. he usually worked with larger groups and his compositions often featured backbending tempo changes and amazing interplay between the musicians. always holding onto the composer-musician role, mingus provides a set of swinging tracks, mostly including original compositions along with Duke Ellington's classic 'mood indigo.' i found this track to be the most rewarding on the album, and indeed, worth the entire album. its hard to provide a version of 'mood indigo' both lyrical and swingin, but mingus manages. also he provides an extended bass solo of transcendental virtuosity. this is a great album, and almost as accessible as, say, ah um.

Mingus was on a roll in 1959, recording four of his greatest albums, and if Mingus Dynasty doesn't reach the peaks of Blues and Roots or Mingus Ah Um, it gets pretty darn close.

Sonically it's quite similar to Ah Um, though with a larger ensemble. Booker Ervin, John Handy, Jimmy Knepper, and Dannie Richmond return fromt hat album, but Roland Hanna takes over the piano chair and this time the group includes a trumpet (either Don Ellis or Richard Williams). Jerome Richardson plays flute and baritone sax, and Teddy Charles adds vibes to a few of the tracks. The last tune ("Put Me in That Dungeon") adds cellos to great effect.

As on Ah Um, the ensemble explores a wide range of styles, maybe even wider. It really shows off Mingus's breadth as a composer. "Slop" is another gospel-jazz piece in the mode of "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting" with a fantastic piano "sermon" by Hanna. "Diane" starts out with a dissonant, nearly orchestral introduction before settling into a gorgeous piano trio section. (This tune appears as "Alice in Wonderland" on the Mingus album Jazz Portraits.) The album includes Mingus's first recorded explorations of the Duke Ellington canon, with "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and a majestic "Mood Indigo". "Far Wells Mill Valley" is another semi-orchestral piece, almost cinematic in scope. "Gunslinging Bird" has an intense, hypnotic riff.

This is one of my favorite Mingus albums, especially because it highlights his abilities as a composer and arranger (though his genius as a bassist is also on display, especially on "Mood Indigo"). If you like Blues & Roots and Mingus Ah Um, this is a logical next step in your Mingus collection.

Mingus Dynasty is a very solid album from Mingus' jazz group's peak years.

The great compositions are very catchy. Very upbeat and moving. Very emotional in the playing so that you really feel it.

Mingus' albums seem to have a very electric feel to it. He always seems lively and spirited, bordering on chaotic at times.

If you're new to jazz or new to Mingus, this is a good place to start, though I'd probably check out Mingus Ah Um first, and maybe this one second.

This record's grown on me over time. Basically Mingus' music is great swinging jazz of some complexity and character. Like "Mingus Ah Um", this is a great restoration and the definitive version of a great recording.

"Mingus Dynasty", Charles Mingus' followup to "Mingus Ah Um", is similar in form to its predecessor, but suffers the unfortunate fate of being the followup to a brilliant album, and as is usually the case, it falls short. Still, when taken on its own, its a decent record.

Mingus again augmented his working band for the two sessions this was recorded during, using as many as ten instruments at times including vibes (Teddy Charles), extra reeds (Jermone Richardson on tenor and Jerome Richardson on baritone), brass (Richard Williams or Don Ellis on trumpet and Jimmy Knepper on trombone) to his then working band (John Handy on alto, Booker Ervin on tenor, Roland Hanna on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums, with the leader handling bass duties). On some tracks, Mingus further augmented the band with a pair of cellos. All of these instruments result in a rather grand sound that sometimes gets a bit too busy, and I found the pieces I enjoyed most involved more stripped down performances. Take "Diane"-- it starts with rising and falling horns, arco bass, and a lot of interplay, but it's when the piece settles down, with Mingus, accompanied only by Hanna and Richmond, stating the theme that the piece is really powerful. Unfortunately, it's bookended by somewhat cluttered ensemble playing (although the shades of "Eclipse" in the coda are quite evocative).

On the other hand, some of the material that sticks to a big band sound (the churning "Gunslinging Bird", standards "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and "Mood Indigo"-- the latter featuring fantastic soloing from both Knepper and Mingus) and one piece that sounds positively orchestral ("Far Wells, Mill Valley") all work out quite nicely, it's the material that sounds more like Mingus' small group work ("Slop", "Song With Orange") that just feels too busy with the extra horns.

As such though, "Mingus Dynasty" is an uneven effort, and Mingus has done much better. Check "Ah Um" for an intro, and if you like that, this might be a good second or third place, even though Mingus has done better records.

Mingus is in total control in this wonderful platter of jazz tunes. Watch out for the jimmy knepper and willie dennis trombone playing. And a great vocal song called strollin.