Customer Reviews

Money Jungle

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Put three legends together in a studio and you you can't be sure what you'll get. Fortunately, in the case of "Money Jungle," the combination of Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach produced a superb performance that bristles with musical genius.

Don't worry if you sometimes find piano trios -- particularly those recorded in the studio -- lacking an edge. Ellington, Mingus and Roach bring enormous vitality to every cut on the release. We get the best of all worlds here in that you can feel the room crowded by three big, strong musical egos. But you can also hear the respect the three have for one another in the way they listen to each other and aren't afraid to give each other plenty of room to speak.

Mingus's enormous tone on his bass leads the way into many of the tunes, including the opener, "Very Special," but Roach makes plenty of room for himself, dominating, for example, "A Little Max," inappropriately named only because the tune is a lot of Max.

Ellington's playing is superb throughout. So many of his compositions are marvels of sophistication and exquisite taste and subtlety that it's pleasantly surprising to hear him remind us of his blues roots with earthy tunes like "Rem Blues," "Switchblade," and "Backward Country Boy Blues." Then there's the delicate beauty of the wonderful "Solitude." I'm not always much for alternate takes, but I was glad to hear this great tune a second time.

"Money Jungle" reminds us that sometimes in jazz, there's not much new under the sun. While it was recorded in 1962, it sets a standard for jazz trio that we can see now has not often -- if ever -- been met.

Somehow I managed to be a jazz fan for over 30 years and yet never heard this album until last week. All I can say is- wow!

Just the treat of hearing Mingus and Roach- perhaps the finest rhythm section players of the post-war era- playing together is enough of a treat. Add the rare experience of hearing Duke Ellington (whom Mingus worshipped) playing in a trio, and you've got something really special. Put all three of them together and an incredible experience. Mingus and Roach's powerful playing seesm to be almost taunting the Duke, pushing him to play beter. And he responds with stunning, firey playing.

If you're a jazz fan and you haven't heard this album, buy it now. Or buy two, in case you lose one. It's right up there with "Kind of Blue", "A Love Supreme" and "Mingus Ah Um" as one of the greatest jazz albums ever made.

I won't go into depth on this amazing record--'cuz I ain't that deep! An amazing album, the one that really got me into jazz. I originally had it on vinyl, and the record has an unbelievable sense of drama and pace as it goes from song to song. This older, original CD release always annoyed me because the tracks are in the order they were recorded at the sessions, in order to preserve the "historical value". Well, that is really dumb. That is like putting out a version of a movie in the order they shot it day by day, rather than the final assembled version that hits the screen. On Money Jungle version 1, each song is great, but the old CD lost the power of the sequencing. I used to reprogram the order on my CD player to get it right--but what a pain! They should have released it in the proper, final sequence, then told you what order to program it in if (for some bizarre reason) you wanted to hear it in the "historical" sequencing. Isn't it just as "historical" to release it in the order that Messrs. Ellington et. al. thought it should go in? I've just never seen a packaging move that was so stupid--especially coming from a label like Blue Note, one of the great prestige labels.Fortunately, I just noticed there is a newer REMASTERED version that is in the proper order and with some xtra cuts. So it is off to one-click that baby and trade the old one in! Seriously folks, a truly amazing, far-out, gorgeous album by three serious cats. Get it, daddy-o!

Yes, this is as good as everyone says! These masters complimenting each other with tremendous balance and empathy. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear Ellington's versatility: some dissonance and minimization, and a whole lot of Ellington swing. Mingus, as usual, is a powerhouse throughout, with his great bowing bass and creative lines and pairing generating energy and interest. The (few) bass solos are entirely engaging. As noted elsewhere, Mingus seems almost to challenge Ellington on some numbers, threatening to take over with his inspired bass. But Ellington more than meets the challenge with his own aggressive stylings.

Max Roach is probably my favorite drummer and he just shines here (as he does on his collaborations with Clifford Brown). A dazzling display of popping sounds, syncopation, splashy cymbals, and on-the-money drum rolls; he creates a symphony of percussion. "Solitude" merits (as too few alternate versions do) the inclusion of alternative takes, as the second take is slower and more in the Ellington style. A beautiful collection, very well recorded, with brief liner notes and a nice cover photo of these three giants in the studio. Highly recommended!

This is the record that made me a Jazz fan. I'd long flirted with jazz, but this is the first I really connected with. Its the textures and the rawness of the sound that appealed to me, a punk a rockabilly fan for years. I think this record would appeal to anyone who wants to see how hip a 60 year old can be.

This one is different. Three titans - father, son and holy ghost - meet to pay their mutual respects and throttle each others' neck. Actually Roach mostly frames the musical D-Day between Mingus and Ellington (I guess that makes him the holy ghost...). It's Mingus who is absolutely unrelententing, challenging Duke at every turn. Even the quiet numbers seethe.

What must Duke - the unflappable master - have thought at the sound of his musical progeny pounding like gangbusters at his heel? Well he manages beautifully; in fact the longer I live with this album, the more I think that Duke gets the better of Mingus. Maybe it's like bullfighting: Mingus is the bull, Duke the matador, and though he risks doom Duke negotiates the beast with mere flicks of the cape.

All of that said, this album is no "showdown": it succeeds as only cooperation between masters can. (Though I promise you've never heard cooperation like this!)

I do not think it's very difficult to argue that this is probably the greatest piano trio recording of in jazz history by three of the greatest players in history. If you enjoy traditional Ellington material, you'll find this quite different, but it reveals yet another brilliant side of his musical genius. His piano work on this album further supports the unique approach he took to this instrument. The versions of "African Flower" and "Solitude" are exteremely powerful. If you like Ellington, Roach, or Mingus this is must-have album.

On this CD, Mrrs Duke Ellingon (1899-1974), Charlie Mingus (1922-79) and Max Roach (b1924) form a trio which sets the standard for all Jazz trios. Recorded in 1962, MONEY JUNGLE is a landmark, a watershed of standards and new material. From the soulful REM BLUES to the wild CARAVAN and MONEY JUNGLE. My favourite is SWITCH BLADE because the three titans are engaging each other, pushing each other, and even mocking a bit. All in good fun, though, which drives their competitive spirits. But what do I know? Mr George Wein (b1925), an accomplished jazz pianist, owner of the famous Storyline, a Boston Jazz mecca, and promoter of the Newport Jazz Festivals, writes "To hear this album is to believe fully in the validity and lasting qualities of jazz. Ellington displays the scope of four decades of musical experience. He adroitly mixes the most advanced harmonic chords, a touch of stride piano, and Ellingtonia of the thirties and forties. Mingus and Roach know their Ellington and perform as if this were a trio of longstanding. But they add through their distinctive musical personalities a dimension never heard before in Duke's playing. The combination makes this one of the greatest piano trio recordings in jazz history." Ignore at your own risk.

...if you even find yourself this far into the exploration of jazz music, then you already are somebody who knows a lil somethin about what a beautiful thang this jungle-music stuff already is. you already know the reputations of the art-masters performing here...so the only real question you should be askin yourself is "why havent i already added this to my shoppin cart?" not convinced? imagine a basketball team with kareem, dr. j and jordan. a football team with montana, emmit smith and chris carter. imagine if michael jackson, elvis presley and madonna got together to make an album...okay, that's just dumb...but are you gettin what i'm tryin to say?!?! this is an excellent jazz album. once you've read up on it, or sampled some of it's songs, then there is no reason not to break down and get this....unless you jus wandered here by mistake because you was lookin for a brittany spears or lil bow wow cd...and even if you did: buy this anyway and enjoy it!

Let me start by saying I am not a big fan of Duke Ellington. I have loads of respect for the man, but I am not enthusiastic about big band jazz. I find a lot of his performances, big band and otherwise, to be very dry and uninspired. From the moment I put this record on it was obvious that this was something different. Like most projects involving Mingus, the bass is extremely dominant on this recording. The rhythms on this album are very unique, not only for Duke Ellington, but for the era.

This album is slightly deceiving in a way. It often has light, airy melodies, but are countered by heavy, intricate bass lines or spurts of heavy chords on the piano. Each track contains several different moods and ideas. The compositions are very complex and yet do not, on the surface, appear to be. Duke Ellington is a phenomenal player, and his ability really comes through on this recording. Combined with Charles Mingus and Max Roach, the trio is infallible. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that this is my favorite recording Ellington has ever done.