Customer Reviews

Weird Nightmare: Mingus Meditations

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Producer Hal Willner has raised the format of the tribute album to an art form. Weird Nightmare is the fifth (and last?) in his series of albums on which a disparate cast of jazz, rock and other musicians cover material by one and the same composer. The covered composers are Nino Rota (Amacord Nino Rota, 1982), Thelonious Monk (That's the Way I Feel Now, 1984), Kurt Weill (Lost in the Stars, 1985; September Songs from 1997 covers much the same ground with less success), Walt Disney - or rather his songwriters - (Stay Awake, 1988) and Charles Mingus (Weird Nightmare, 1992). The Mingus tribute features a number of instruments with unusual pitch and sound constructed by avant-garde DIY composer Harry Partch that provide a very eerie vibe to this record, readings from unpublished sections of Mingus' autobiography Beneath the Underdog by hip celebrities (i.a. Henry Rollins ruminating on the word 'groovy'), songs played by a 'house band' composed of 'downtown' jazz musicians such as Don Byron, Bill Frisell, Bobby Previte and Greg Cohen and guest performers and arrangers that include Henry Threadgill, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards and Chuck D. Richards sings and plays a hilarious version of the blues 'Oh Lord, Don't Let them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me' and Chuck D. delivers an explosive two-minute rap based on a passage from Mingus' autobio that is underpinned by weird but rhythmic sounds from the Harry Partch instruments and a solid Bill Frisell guitar workout (too rarely heard, these days).
The disparate elements that went into the making of this album are ingenously combined by Willner into a multifaceted CD that is a truthful reflection of Charles Mingus' complex and self-contradictory personality and music. On top of that this record is also quite entertaining, highly musical and even moving in places. Not for the faint of heart or musical purists.

OK, first of all, I've been a bassist for about 35 years now, and to acknowledge Mingus as the absolute apothesis of bass players is (say it with me, now: DUH!) a moot point. And now, here's some of his stuff produced by Hal Willner, a gentleman I'd GREATLY enjoy sharing an..."illegal substance" with. And if THAT ain't enough, Willner's able to incorporate some of the noted eccentric American composer, Harry Partch's own homemade instuments on all of the material presented. And the list of guest artists is absolutely astounding. Dig: some of New York's finest "advant-garde" (sp?) musicians like Bill Frisell, Gary Lucas, and bassist extraordinare, Greg Cohen musicians provide most of the music. The "cameos" are a real hoot, too: the Band's Robbie Roberson recites "Playing Chess With Bobby Fischer;" Elvis Costello sings the title track; and there's this GREAT "jug band" version of Mingus' "Open Letter To Duke," featuring the likes of Tony Trischka, Howard Levy, and Bobby Previte; but, for my money, the best two tracks are Chuck D's rap version of "Gunslinging Bird," and Keith Richards'/Charlie Watts/Bobby Keyes jam with the Uptown Horns on "Oh Lord, Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me." If you're a jazz purist, I can guarantee that you'll miss the joke completely and be mightily offended by these "pop" musicians attempting Mingus' material. But to the rest of us, "Weird Nightmare" is a GREAT (albeit slightly...twisted) introduction to the phenomenal entity that is Charles Mingus.

The music, recitations, arrangements, playing on this CD are the closest one can get to recreating the INTENT of an original artist without copying or seeming a pale imitation of that original. I think great artists who have created a whole new SOUND are notoriously difficult when it comes to playing their music. This is a notable exception. The SOUL of Mingus is here, but the sound is a completely new realisation of his work. A tremendous effort by all concerned. Brilliant.

Hal Willner's "Meditation on Mingus..." is one of the best ambient, experimental, compilations I've ever heard, the sort of album that never quite leaves you. I was hooked the first time I listened to it, and while there are moments of the album that I tend to skip over, the parts that I listen to over and over easily make up for it. I would recommend this one to anyone who enjoys peculiar, one of a kind explorations into sound.

Weird Nightmare takes a different approach to paying tribute to iconic iconoclast Charles Mingus. At a time when the bassist bandleader's significance was being reappraised by a new generation of listeners, musician/producer Hal Willner assembled this cohesive multi-person tribute with a shifting cast of musicians like the (then) ubiquitous Henry Rollins, Chuck D, Elvis Costello, and Vernon Reid.

These musicians were charged with honoring Mingus through some very loose, highly improvisational arrangements of his works. And here's the kicker: many of the instruments used on this recording were created by avant-garde composer Harry Partch. Additionally, band instruments like the tuba and the clarinet (which would have been much more likely at a Mingus studio session) and some electrified instruments round out the eclectic sounds that weave in and out of this musical tapestry.

Mingus, an accomplished poet and writer as well as an upright bassist (in either sense of the word), finds his spoken art highlighted as well, both faithfully and in spirit. The point of Weird Nightmare is not so much to create a jazz album, but to create over an hour-long aural experience in the spirit of Mingus' forward-thinking compositional experimentation. It's pretty damn successful on all counts, and a good candidate for some headphone listening on a warm autumn morning with your eyes closed.

It's a travelogue of styles, from Tin Pan Alley to the Far East, the Mississippi Delta to the infamous Coconut Grove jazz club. This bit of musical theater has a fairly stellar cast of supporting characters, including the likes of Bill Frisell, Robbie Robertson, Charlie Watts, Diamanda Galas, Robert Quine, Keith Richards, Marc Ribot, Tony Trischka, and The Kinks' Ray Davies. I found mine in the bargain bin.

Certainly intriguing for a cover album, the constant creative liberties taken may be in the spirit of Mingus's triumphant diversity and eccentric compositions but feels flimsily pretentious too often to render a convincing homage of the brilliantly unique artist.

If you are a fan of Mingus, this is an essential CD. The interpretations of the compositions here are outstanding. The roster of contributors includes Vernon Reid, Bill Frisell, Elvis Costello, Diamanda Galas, Dr. John, and Keith Richards with spoken word segments done by Chuck D. of Public Enemy, Henry Rollins, Hubert Selby, Jr., Leonard Cohen, and Robbie Robertson. The variety of moods on the CD ranges from uplifting and energetic to, as the title might tell you, unsettling and dark. This is one of the best albums of the '90s that deserved far greater attention. I think Mingus would have dug it.