Mingus Ah Um

I had never heard of Charles Mingus until I played in a college jazz band, and we were assigned to play "Boogie Stop Shuffle". Keep in mind that this was a killer band (of which I was probably the worst player), and Boogie Stop Shuffle was HARD. We routinely played bigger and more reputable schools off the stage, but this track kicked my butt.

My introduction to Mingus' work as a player was, thus, very similar to my experience of enjoying him as a listener. Mingus was fantastic at creating endlessly challenging music to the player and the listener, and a brilliant tonal storyteller.

Mingus Ah Um is Mingus' most widely appreciated record (although not my favorite, Changes Two). Considered to be in the canon of jazz greats, it deserves every laudatory review it gets. Perhaps the most magnificent thing about Mingus, and about all truly great artists, is the degree to which they can tip their cap to their influences without mimicking them. Thus, you can hear the influence of all of Mingus' favorite genres and artists in his music, but he always gives it his own Mingusan (sp?) twist to make it immediately recognizable as his own.

The first track "Better Git it in Your Soul", for instance, is a fantastic homage to gospel music translated through the vocabulary of jazz. Mingus' frequent shouts over the music of "oh Lord!", "Hallelujah!", "oh yes I know!" bring to mind the setting of gospel music without feeling cheap or like a mockery.

The rest of the record follows this path magnificently, trending from bop to traditional jazz to blues and back again, all while maintaining an immediately identifiable voice that is positively inimitable. My personal track highlights are the civil rights protest song "Fables of Faubus", "Boogie Stop Shuffle", and the gorgeous "Self-Portrait in Three Colors". The record is without a dull or uninteresting spot, and is remarkably accessible to jazz fans and non-fans alike. It gets my full TRO seal of approval at a 10/10.

-TRO