When it was first released in 1962, five years after it was recorded, Charles Mingus declared this musical account of a bacchanalian trip to the notorious border town the best record he ever made. That may be exaggeration, but it's certainly one of Mingus's best, a suite of pieces that gives form to the range of both his oversized emotions and his varied compositional techniques. The sextet, which sounds like a far larger group, includes several musicians who would become perennial Mingus associates--drummer Dannie Richmond and trombonist Jimmy Knepper--as well as the gifted trumpeter Clarence Shaw, an obscure musician with a distinctive lyricism. In its tumult, passionate breadth, and programmatic content, Tijuana Moods looks ahead to Mingus's later masterpiece, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. --Stuart Broomer
Product details
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer
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No
Product Dimensions
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5.5 x 4.94 x 0.45 inches; 2.83 ounces
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The music here reminds me of Dizzy Gillespie in the 50's (one tune is named after him), and Gil Evans' work also. It's "travelogue" music. It's not Mingus' best music, but it's nice. The CD contains longer alternates of 4 of the tracks which bypass Mingus' ham-fisted tape edits and make for a better listening experience.
Charlie Mingus is cited as being one of the most serious and hard-edged composers in jazz history. For Mingus to declare that 'Tijuana Moods' is the best album he's ever made is a serious statement, meant to be taken with much gravity. He was one of those composers who would write essays about their albums, and then print them on the record sleeves. He was very vocal and forward about his work, and was never shy or humble.
Charlie could have very well been fully accurate when he released this quote on the back of his album cover; this album is indeed a masterpiece! A slightly overlooked masterpiece, if I may add, that often gets overshadowed by other more critically-praised works such as 'Mingus Ah Um'. What is interesting and worthwhile about 'Tijuana Moods', in my view, is not just the superb craftsmanship of this series of pieces, but additionally the relatively unique playing and improvisation styles of the musicians. The term most would use to describe this kind of playing is 'lyrical', a description used to parallel the similarities between the horn player and a singer. Many instances of this lyrical style are evident on this album, most significantly found played by the trombone player and the trumpet player.
What makes lyrical styles so fantastic, especially in a Mingus piece, is that it gives the music a touch of accessibility, making this album a fabulous fusion between complex, innovative structuring, and easy-to-understand melodies and rhythms. In other words, this is a great place for a Mingus 'newbie' to begin his/her explorations. It allows the awe-inspiring insanity of Mingus' designs to be heard and accepted by a wider audience. And, of course, for the Mingus veterans, this album contains a chock full of instrumental goodness, such as the inevitable inclusion of abstract percussion instruments, and crazy, psychotic vocals thrown in there for good measure. But overall, this album is a brilliant creation, good for both the newcomers and the well-experienced. It would be easy to claim that this album is both a worthy first, or tenth, Mingus purchase.
This album comes highly recommended from me. Enjoy the music!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2005
This is not regular jazz. Mingus was one of the musicians that went beyond Jazz. Even beyond music itself. Music was just a way for spreading his message out: His inner feelings. The concepts which made impact on his life. And I guess (from what I've heard) it was a difficult one. That's one of the reason why his music is so complex and so full of sound. For one who still haven't catched the music of Mingus, it would seem too confusing and abstract. And even too annoying because all that vastness in sound in some of its passages (how couldn't you get lost at first hearing?). But after such a fierce momentum so and then he could suddenly relieve you with such a beautiful and pleasant landscape which I thought was only capable of being expressed by the Classical Geniuses. Such an overwhelming contrast. Speaking of that, Mingus played with tempo and rythm changes like Beethoven. No wonder why both were considered mind tormented. They tried to portray the complexities of their inner livings through music. And in my point of view they quite succeed on that.
He went to Tijuana in order to escape but made us a great favour: He shared with us what this trip was like and above all, what could had been. A strong mixing of sorrow, laughter, awe, sun and sandness. All of that with no order. Just like our own hearts. With no easy pattern to follow.
This is no ordinary music. So if you want just to find here great jazz, look somewhere else. I don't like the dubious feeling of myself and my then seemingly deplorable life after coming back from a trip to Tijuana where every sound is a journey to excitement. How I hate to feel like Mingus but not being able to express it so you can understand me!.
I have a feeling I really should like this more. After all, it is one of Mingus' most critically acclaimed discs, and the man himself declared it the best thing he ever did. However, I don't see it as an example of the breadth of Mingus' talent: there are plenty of other albums like that. This album has a "Spanish tinge", inspired by one of Mingus' trips to Mexico. And while I don't know much about Spanish music, the "Spanish tinge" seems more like stereotypical Hollywood bullfight-scene music than anything else: "Ysabel's Table Dance" (bet Mingus enjoyed that!) is a great example. Another one is "Los Mariachies". Neither really strike me as anything close to what I've heard of Spanish folk music - for my money, Sketches of Spain is much closer to the mark. So it's not Spanish music. Why's that reason to slap two stars on an album Mingus himself had claimed all his life to love? Well, it's just not very good music, either. Like I said before, the music has a dated, Hollywood flavor to it that completely sinks the boat - take "Flamingo". However, there are two songs I really do enjoy on this album. One is "Dizzy Moods", a good bop song; the other is "Tijuana Gift Shop", with a lovably bizarre melody that I'd say sounded like a demented cross between the Simpsons and Rocky & Bullwinkle theme songs if both themes weren't penned years after this came out. Two of five... failure, in my eyes. I prefer A Um, Oh Yeah, At Antibes, Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Pithecanthropus Erectus... the list goes on and on.
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