Customer Reviews

Mingus Moves

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Highly recommended 1974 date from Mingus, with his quintet including George Adams, Don Pullen, Jack Walrath, and of course Dannie Richmond. If it's possible, try to locate the 1993 reissue of this album from Rhino--it's the only version that includes the bonus tracks "Big Alice" and "The Call." These are not to be found on the subsequent reissues from 32 or Collectables, and certainly are a welcome addition.

Until now, I have hesitated reviewing JAZZ cds,even though I am an avid JAZZ fan.(LONG story!). There are also TOO MANY Mingus cds I would love to talk about,as I have been an passionate enthusiast of Mingusmusics since 1970. MINGUS MOVES, however, has a special place in my heart. It has one of my favorite lineups that he had created musics with.(and you Mingus followers KNOW who were luminaries in prior aggregations). Eric Dolphy not withstanding, George Adams and Don Pullen are 2 of the more unique voices in Jazz, both steeped heavily in tradition, but had their restless hearts always seeking new horizons.Underrated,both had their favorite musical gestures-Pullen's piano glissandos and ferocious "cluster note " solo technique. George Adams (much like Grant Green) was not a note-crazy technician, but offered a unique style of full toned Texas tenor,offering lines alternating honey sweet with avant guard squalls of "Tenor temor" , a sort of "quasi- John Gilmore / Marshall Allen approach"(for those conversant in "SUN RA, does that sound reasonable?") This cd features the usual high quality Mingus compositions, along with 1 piece each from Adams and Pullen. Also, one of the cd's highlights, "WEE",is credited to Sy Johnson. This composition's opening "lament" sequence then erupts into a Mingus trademark "funk" groove,(in the "Mingus tradition",that is). The Mingus compositions are quite regal, and the quintette(Ronald Hampton rounds out the group on trumpet)sounds like a larger aggregation. The arrangements are impeccable. "Moves" features vocals , very elegant and hauntingly melancholy, a beautiful duet . "Flowers for a Lady" is a partial nod to bossanova,with the jazz release, similar to Riot in Cell Block #9 , from the "Mingus Changes" recording.(Same group basically, another great cd- there's 2 of 'em, "inventively" called "Changes 1" & "Changes 2"). WOW, it is tough to write about Jazz musics, to be careful to use colloquial imagery, and not fall into technical or quasi-technical musical jargon! Sooooooooo, I hope I have described this cd well enough to implore you to "check it out", YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED. Viva Mingus,your vibrations echo through the universe forever. TIMELESS!

Some very unique songs and one very beautiful "Moves" with vocals by Honey Gordon and Doug Hammond. I really like the work with Don Pullen and George Adams. Both of those guys are such tremendous players... in another league entirely. This was one of a dozen Mingus titles I bought recently to fill a major gap in my jazz collection. Next will be the Debut series.

This is another masterpiece from a jazz genius who was tragically under-appreciated in his lifetime. With the talented help of pianist Don Pullen and Saxophonist George Adams, he expands the pallet of modern jazz to embrace dissonances and make them sound as naturally a part of the music as the most straight-forward melody.

This is one of my all time favorite albums. The only thing that sometimes detracts from this album is the piano playing, sometimes it's a little over the top out there. But all in all I love the overall album.

Charles Mingus is a True Giant In Jazz&Music in General.The Group Sounded Fantastic.The Timing&Arrangements are Really Incredible.Mingus has so Many Great Albums That it's Mind-Blowing.His Music is Timeless.

Hm... not bad... More or less decent, not really one to rush out and get, though. Mingus plays with structure on the classical/bebop/classical "Canon", and it's a good time all around; "Opus 4" is pretty solid retro-bebop with an eccentric melody that bears the Mingus stamp all over it; "Newcomer" is another very cool fusion of Latin and jazz; and "Opus 3" recalls the glory days of his insane, unexpected tempo-shifting on albums like Mingus Ah Um, Oh Yeah, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. Some of my favorite Mingus songs are like that, and "Opus 3" certainly is one of my favorite Mingus songs. It's not perfect, though: sometimes Mingus gets carried away in the retro-bebop mode ("Wee") - I certainly like bebop if it's done well, but "Wee" is not done well. It's one of the few bebop songs I'd classify as "uneventful" or "boring". And that's the best of the bad songs, too, hideous as it may be. The low is the histrionic "Moves", which for whatever reason has a totally cheesy Frank Sinatra parody vocal (from its composer), or else "Flowers for a Lady", which sets the cheese factor to "intolerable" and keeps it there for the whole song. Lactose intolerant? Stay away from that one! So some of it is very cool, and some of it is Mingus totally losing his grip and making a fool of himself. What to say about it? But if you must have it, "Opus 3" will make you glad you bought it, that's for sure. Hold on, there's something missing here... *disses the Eagles* Ah, there we go. Now everyone can get that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Out of great loyalty to Mingus I saw this band play several times. He was old and sick then, heavily medicated, and beginning to die. To me, it's an embarassment to the world that he hadn't made enough money by then to retire instead of having to go out on the road with these two clowns. The man who made "Great Concert" with Eric Dolphy and Jaki Byard didn't need Adams and Pullen to show him a "new" direction. The last group of records (this one and the "Changes") were probably humiliating for him. When a great composer doesn't write all the music on his own record something is gone awry. I bought them anyway so he'd get the money, but I never could listen to them.