Customer Reviews

Pre-Bird

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

 

 

This 24Bit remastered version of the original Mercury Stereo album of the same name recorded on May 24th and 25th 1960 in New York does justice to the excellent music contained in it. Although by CD standards the programme is short - 35minutes and 7 seconds - there is not a wasted note on it. There are six originals by the leader, together with one by Billy Strayhorn, "Take the A Train" with an interpolation of "Exactly Like You" by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields, and one by Bob Russell and Duke Ellington " Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me" with an Interpolation of " I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills,J. Redmond and H. Remo. Both the Ellington tracks are performed with a verve, panache, indeed, joy, that I'm sure the master himself would approved. Mr Booker Ervin is a highlight on the first, playing with such swagger and power, it IS a joy to hear. The latter begins with a characteristic bass opening by Mr Mingus that propels the number along at quite a pace. Again Mr Ervin features. Interestingly, two great pianists,Paul Bley and Roland Hanna alternating, are featured on five, including these tracks. Some of their pianistic punctuations are quite stunning. But it is in the originals that Mingus is perversely most Duke like. For example, "Bemoanable Lady" sounds more Duke than Duke, and strangely, the solo by the great Mr Eric Dolphy, takes on Mr Hodges and adds to it in inventiveness and passion. One track, "Half-Mast Inhibition" is conducted by Gunther Schuller. Another highlight for me is the last track which features the glorious cello sound of Mr Charlie McCracken. The Orchestration on this rivals the work on Pithecanthropus Erectus. Great music. The programme seems to have the notion of showing a number of sides of the talents of Mr Mingus - vocalist Lorraine Cousins appears on two tracks - with a variety of approaches to the music. It is five star music undoubtedly. The packaging is attractive but unreadable.

I first heard "Prayer for Passive Resistance" on the jukebox in the student center of a small Kansas religious college 40 years ago. A jukebox! with Mingus on it! I put so many quarters in for repeat play the jocks unplugged the box. But I bought the album. "Prayer for Passive Resistance" has Mingus improvising a hymn for the lunch-counter movement. "Take the A-Train" is amazingly loose and swinging. "Eclipse" and "Weird Nightmare" are vocals worthy of Schoenberg. Yeah, I know this is gush & not review, but I've been looking for this gem on CS and here it is. Yow!

"Pre-Bird" was released in 1960 on the Emarcy label. Then it was reissued in 1965 on the Limelight label as "Mingus Revisted". Emarcy records released it on CD as "Mingus Revisted" a few years back. Great album, bye the way.