Mingus Ah Um

Charles Mingus never wanted his music to be classified as jazz or classical music. To him it wasn't a fusion either; rather, Mingus believed an organic, kinetic way of creating music was the only way for him. Mingus would offer rough sketches of what a piece's mood was, and the vibe, but he purposely worked with musicians that could both breathe in his world/vision and add special enhancements to the atmosphere/overall product.

The saxophone on this piece is evocative and chilling; it's fitting that Mingus allows it to be the centerpiece of the composition. Reflecting on a friend who passed away before he could record it, the mood is definitely forlorn. The way the tenors contrast and compliment each other is beautifully deliberate; I love how they sort of melt into each other for the last couple of minutes until the bellowing last note: gorgeous dissonance.

That same kind of dissonance is all over the place on "Fables of Faubus." This would later feature lyrics and be one of Mingus' most political songs but on this album it's entirely instrumental. The call and response is between the sax and the horn section and Mingus allows the improvisation (sax to piano back to sax then to bass) to be elaborated. This is still one of my favorite albums just because of how heady and moody all of it plays out in my brain. It came out in 1959 too, its damn old and still sounds vibrant as ever.