Tijuana Moods [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Charles Mingus | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 22, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 1957
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000P46Q18
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,194 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered 50th Anniversary edition of one of Mingus' finest albums featuring one bonus track: 'A Colloquial Dream (Scenes In The City)'. Tijuana Moods is a boisterous, swinging suite of songs that meld Bebop with the tequila haze of nightclubs, a flamenco striptease, serenading mariachis and the glare of the Mexican sun in the hedonist milieu of the border town. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MINGUS SAID THIS IS HIS BEST MUSIC-HE WASN'T WRONG, October 22, 2010

By 

Stuart Jefferson (San Diego,Ca) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Tijuana Moods (Audio CD)

Two discs 79,77, minutes each approximately. The remastered sound (presumably from the stellar 2001 remastered edition) is very good. The instruments have great tones from the lowest bass notes to the swish of the cymbals. There's also a spacious quality to the sound-very open and fairly warm. The discs are snapped inside a fold-out jewel case. The booklet lists song titles composer (s), times, dates, and who is playing on each track. The back of the booklet is a reproduction of the original vinyl release. Other than that, there are no other notes whatsoever-a shame for an artist and music of this stature. The flip-side is that this is a relatively inexpensive European release of the 2001 First Edition release from BMG. Beware of the same title which has only one disc, and sells for lot less. All issued takes from 1962 and 1986 are present on this release, except in some cases of very bad editing in which the rhythm of the actual song is compromised.

This album, which Charles Mingus considered his best work, has now, once again, been re-released with the unedited versions of the originally released tracks. This allows you to hear this great band stretch out and really blow. The original had some fairly bad edits in the music, and wasn't really very satisfying. While some people may quibble that some of these tracks go on to long (which I understand), to be able to hear this music as it was originally recorded by Mingus, precludes any arguments of length.

This was Mingus' first album for a major label and the first album he recorded in stereo. The band consisted of Mingus-bass, Clarence Shaw-trumpet, Jimmy Knepper-trombone, Shafi Hadi-tenor sax, Bill Triglia-piano, and Dannie Richmond-drums. Occasional vocals were handled by Ysabel Morel and Mingus. The castanets were played by Frankie Dunlop.

By now most jazz listeners are familiar with this album, so a song-by-song review is pretty pointless. Suffice to say that this is some very fine jazz, and certainly some of Mingus' finest music. The impressionistic moods heard in this music are some of the very finest in all of jazz. For those unfamiliar with the title, Tijuana is a Mexican town on the border of California, next to San Diego. Mingus, who visited the town with Dannie Richmond, was so taken with his impressions of the town that he decided to put those feelings into some form of music (now referred to as a suite) that would convey his feelings. Having been born in another border town (Nogales, Arizona), Mingus could relate very well with what he saw and heard in Tijuana.

Simply put, if you've never heard this album, either in it's truncated form (which many people like), or in it's original form, you owe it to yourself to hear these pieces of music. They are very impressionistic, with a flow that was peculiar (and typical) to Mingus. The band blows hot throughout this set, especially Shaw's trumpet, and Knepper's trombone, with Hadi's sax, at times, equal to the other horns. The meshing of up beat passages with the slower, highly impressionistic pieces is something to hear. Give this set a listen, especially if you've only heard the abbreviated form of this wonderful music. In this music you'll find a lot to like, and hearing this music the way Mingus recorded it, besides being great jazz, is a lesson on Mingus' way of composing and arranging music. This is intelligent jazz that, at times, boils over with with great emotion. The juxtaposition of slow and fast passages, with a hot band, bring something special to the music. The ebb and flow of Mingus' arrangements are at times emotionally startling. And now with this low priced edition, this a great chance to hear not only some of Mingus' best music, but some of the best jazz in the idiom.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mingus Best?, August 4, 2010

By 

William G. Daniels "Stanley Danielson" (Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Tijuana Moods (Audio CD)

In 1966 Mingus called this album his best recording. It definately has that unique quality that is Mingus as he takes us on a wild and hip trip through a Mexican border town in the fifties. Mingus was definately one of the most eclectic of the bop players and sucessfully juxtaposes mariachi rythems with hip urban riffs as he takes us through a "Tijuana Gift Shop" and invites us to witness "Ysabel's Table Dance". This is a record that appeals to jazz fans and to anyone who appreciates good music.