Customer Reviews

Mingus

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Female artists (Laura Nyro, Joni, Rickie Lee) are always getting the short end of the stick. When this album was released it was generally deemed a failure and it got no airplay and fell off the charts. Listening to it 22 years later I can't believe how underrated it has become. If you thought Joni was just a flower-powered folk singer then you were wrong. This is some of the most spacey, haunting, and eccentric music out there. Oh, the instruments may seem familiar but the way they are used is just plain out there. Jaco Pastorius can make his bass sound like a trumpet, sax, piano, Fender Rhodes, synth and more. Joni's guitar playing had never been or never was again this powerful or primal. Highlights: everything. God Must Be a Boogie Man a duet between Joni's guitar and Jaco's bass combines her haunting vocals backed by a chorus of what sounds like escapees from a mental institution. The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey: with Joni's near perfect phrasing and a devil-may-care guitar strum. The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines: an uptempo jazz-tune which, in a just world, would have been a great single. Oh and one more thing, Joni's voice would never again be this perfect. She had trained her voice and it has never sounded better. It didn't have that high screechy, nails-on-the-chalkboard sound of her early days, nor the Tom Waits-gravel quality it has today. This is an essential part of Joni's oeuvre. Get it now.

This album, along with Joni's masterpieces The Hissing of Summer Lawns and Hejira, taught me to LISTEN to music, to appreciate the subtleties and complexities. Joni has said that this album cost her everything, meaning that it soured pop radio programmers on her work. Well, that's the down-side. The up-side is, well, take a listen: Dry Cleaner from Des Moines cooks! The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey is a haunting synthesis of under-your-skin vocals, powerful acoustic guitar and -- wolves! Sweet Sucker Dance is charming, and Goodbye Pork Pie Hat couldn't be more memorable and does justice to the classic jazz composition. This album taught me to love jazz and introduced me to contemporary and old-time jazz legends. I'm glad I have more sense than radio programmers.

An excellent album, each track is thoughtful and evocative. I was immediately impressed by the qulaity of musicianship on this album, the funny thing is, Joni Mitchell always had excellent musicians on all of her albums.

I am big jazz fan, so names like Wayne Shorter and Jaco Pastorius get my attention. The song writing is different, Joni was very daring to write lyrics to Mingus music, a music never ordinary or simplistic!

Jaco's contributions are hard to ignore, his bass should actually be counted as a second lead vocal! His playing is spectacular, as always, and his horn part on "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines" is fantastic. He really brings a groove to the recordings, I actually enjoy listening to him more as a sideman than I do as a soloist. He maintains a discipline when he records with Joni Mitchell which makes his playing more outstanding. His extra voice can not be ignored on this record, it is clear that his presence was insightful.

I must echo other reviewers by saying, don't give up on the first listening. This is complicated and serious music but it is worth a good listen. Joni is exploring a new territory, so her style is different and barely echoes her "Court and Spark" days. I do think that if you want to lead into Mingus the best way to do so would be through Court and Spark and then The Hissing of Summer Lawns. Both albums illustrate a transition from the folky and introspective Mitchell to the hard playing artist interested in experimentation rather relating to the listener.

I definetly recommend this album and I think that if you go in with an open and adventurous mind, you will not be disappointed.

I haven't had my morning cup of coffee yet...so I 'll keep it short. This is my favorite Joni album, and it's probably because she was channelling the genius and magic of Charles Mingus when she made it. She surrounded herself with brilliant musicians (especially the phenomenal Jaco Pastorius) and let the spirit of Mingus flow through the sessions.

Sublime.

Over the years I've gotten weary of people ragging on Mingus because it doesn't meet their expectations - it doesn't sound like Joni Mitchell should, it doesn't sound like Mingus would have wanted it to, it doesn't sound like jazz should, etc., etc. Listeners should get over all that and appreciate it for what it is - a challening, beautiful, eclectic, and even mystical musical journey. It's holding up beautifully all these years later.

The beauty of Joni Mitchell's music is that apart from being absolutely timeless, it has a brilliant way of creeping up on you when you least expect it. Fifth album "For The Roses" grew on me in a way I'd not expected about a year ago. I now class it as one of her best records. The same has just happened with "Mingus." I bought this album about eight months ago and listened to it a bit but didn't take to it much. I was well aware of Mitchell's decreasing popularity and acclaim around the time of this album's release. Perhaps this is why I wasn't expecting much to begin with and was initially disappointed. The whole jazz song wasn't working for me either. I adored "Hejira" and "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter," but there was something missing from this album.

Two weeks ago it all clicked. Mingus simply takes a little while longer to digest than her earlier albums. By this point Joni had honed her skills and her voice had never sounded better. Infact, I'd go as far as to say that her voice doesn't sound better on any other album. It's rich and velvety; much more matured than the high yelp she became famous for a decade previously, and much smoother than the throaty cooing of this past decade as a result of 50 years heavy smoking. Joni was heavy influenced by jazz legend Charles Mingus during the record process. The album is pretty much a dedication to him. By surrounding herself with such a wonderful crop of musicians as Eddie Gomez, John Guerin, Herbie Hancock and of course Pastorius, Joni made one of the best albums in her already prestigious cannon - and arguably the most underrated.

The album opens with "Happy Birthday 1975 (Rap)" which is almost one minute long. If there is one down side to this stunning album it's that there's actually only six proper songs here, despite there being eleven tracks; five are raps. It fits in well with the overall theme, but I would've preferred a more solid collection of songs. Either that or this would've made a stunning EP. This track is a simple tape recording of Charles' birthday in 1975 where his wife is arguing about how old he is. It leads swiftly into the beautiful "God Must Be A Boogie Man." This is the only song that Charles didn't hear before the album's release due to his untimely death. Joni has famously said that she thinks he would've found this song hilarious which is probably true. The song opens like a peacefully lullaby from beyond, it's stunning. It also opens much like "Overture" from Don Juan's Reckless Daughter. Pastorius is on fine form as usual. The vocal delivery is so perfectly attuned to the music though, which is what impresses me the most. The lyrics are so beautiful and I love how the first line is delivered with such peace and calmitude; "He is three, one's in the middle unmoved."

"Funeral (Rap)" is another taped conversation between Swede and Charles where they discuss the latter's funeral and what it's going to be like. "A Chair In The Sky" is absolutely stunning. I feel like I'm on a trip when I listen and sing along to this. I could just sit in a rocking chair going back and forth with my eyes closed and feel like I'm falling right through the sky. The vocal delivery is so stunning, Joni's knowledge of when the notes should be drawn out is very impressive. She knows exactly how to play it, and there's nothing more I love than to sing along. I swear it's good for the soul. I feel like a new man every time I hear it. The instrumentation is drawn out in places; this is quite a lengthy track and the instruments just brew away in a sea of smoke beneath Joni's soaring vocal. "The Wolf That Lives In Lindsay" is probably one of my favourite Joni songs of all time. After dismissing it for so long (the guitar scraped my nerves) I finally gave it the time and attention it deserves. The opening verse is amazing; "Of the darkness in men's minds, what can you say, that wasn't marked by history, or the T.V. news today." Joni's soaring vocals are drawn out to mimic the sound of howling wolves on lines such as, "It comes and goes." She's so smart this woman, I adore her. The actual howling of wolves adds a chilling element to the entire song and the guitar feels like sharp footprints scarring a frozen and rugged winter landscape.

"I's A Muggin' (Rap)" is a rather pointless but funny interlude, followed by "Sweet Sucker Dance." This is the longest song on the album at over eight minutes. I love the first few seconds. That little back and forth reverb is so poignant. It's just something I need to hear every now and then. The entire song is wonderful, however. Some critics disagree and I was one of them at first, but all these songs really need is repeated listening and they come up on you like old friends. "Coin In The Pocket (Rap)" is another very short interlude but again I find it mildly amusing. It's followed by "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines," which is the most upbeat song here and would've been a big hit single in a just world. This song is so stunning and Joni really gets her jazz out. The lyrics are very well-placed, the vocal delivery almost impossible to keep up with, and the pitch at which she sings ensures you have to adjust your voice to be brimming with excitement and joy to even attempt in reciting along with her. My favourite line is "I talked to a cat from Des Moines!" I just love how she sings it! The brass on this song is amazing, it sounds so fresh and new, even 28 years after it was released. "Lucky (Rap)" is followed by "Goodbye Porkpie Hat," clearly a tribute to the passed Lester and a fitting closing song for the album. Joni and Mingus work magic on this brilliant track.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

This album is so scatterbrained and sporadic that I can only place certain chords and words, which means that I keep coming back for more and more. I've listened to this album so much in the past couple of weeks and I think I will continue to. I wouldn't even place it in my top five of a Joni Mitchell album ranking such is the level of her genius, but make no mistake, this is an album of the highest order and if you're any true Joni fan you will embrace it with open arms. Stick with it, because it has something that none of her other albums do. I can't quite place it, but it's there and it's distinctive and unique. Criminally underrated.

This is the only Joni Mitchell album I have and it's all because I heard "Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" at a music store one day. A terrifying band, featuring Jaco, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Don Alias, Peter Erskine, Emil Richards... wow. This album burns in a big bad way. I have since seen the Shadows and Light video which has prompted me to want to hunt down more Joni Mitchell stuff. I'm almost afraid that her songs are not going to be as good without the likes of Pastorius and Metheney playing on them. This album is a fantastic tribute to jazz great Charles Mingus, so fitting that Jaco should be the bassist on it.

The way Jaco phrases along the record is a rare exhibition of his fabulous ear for orchestration and harmony. I am sure he put a lot of himself into this project, and given enough space by Joni. In fact, an in life tribute to Mingus in which Joni chose Jaco as bassist is a remarkable fact.

All these years after this 1979 release I still shake my head
why this came across in such a negative light. I guess this
wasn't the time people were ready to expand their minds. After
all it was 1979, Disco music was at its height, Rock music
was soaring/expanding and punk was just
about to explode and singer/songwriters were being squeezed
out of the seen and the 80's was just about their death nail. Joni Mitchell was an artists right from the
start that continually expanded her musical palette and I just
couldn't understand why such a musical genius got herself stuck
forever in such a firestorm. When I listen to this now, MINGUS is full of brillant moments, vocally as well as the guitars,
bass, horns just some of the most challenging jazz/pop hybrid
sounds. I can't recall anything quite like this at the time.
Joni had some pipes on her and a one of a kind guitar style.
I believe the late 70's vocally were her finest moments, to
bad she listened to her critics and turned inward and bitter,
what would she have become if she just let it all go and
moved on. She was by far the most gifted of her peers. Just listen
to some of these haunting, underated gems and mix it up on a
cd burn with your other favorite music, it stand right out.

1979's "Mingus" is a fun & dreamy jazz influenced record that any diehard Joni fan will adore. Greatly influenced by the jazz legend himself, Charles Mingus, Joni embraces her jazz side full on. Crooning smooth & blissfully on atmosphereic numbers like "A Chair In The Sky" & "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". It also features a hauntingly beautiful song, "The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey", Which feautures fustrated & passionate acoustic guitar pounding that send rythmic chills down your spine. There are many hilarious & endearing skits of dialog inbetween each song that add to the old school jazz feel of this masterwork, but never spill into the songs, so you can enjoy each one individually. On the afore mentioned self-penned song "The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey" she darkly observes:

"Of the darkness in men's minds
What can you say
That wasn't marked by history
Or the TV news today
He gets away with murder
The blizzards come and go
The stab and glare and buckshot
Of the heavy heavy snow
It comes and goes
It comes and goes"

"Mingus" is a wild & unique gem in Joni's catalogue. it's very much well worth it. Highly recommended.