Customer Reviews

Mingus

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

first off, this ain't no masterpiece- but it doesn't completely suck, either. joni's singing is, at best adequate... to make up for this there is the band of wayne shorter, herbie hancock, jaco pastorius, peter erskine and don alias- tho wayne doesn't get into it much. the lyrics are very hit-or-miss: if you've ever heard the original '59 recording of 'porkpie hat', you know that it is a futile exercise to put words to a melody that communicates the unspeakable- however, joni tries, throwing out such cringers as "the sweetest swinging music man had a porkie pig hat on"-- terrible. joni should've just shut up and had the album end with it as an instrumental.

so if i have these strong feelings against it, why did i give it three stars and not one? musically, this album has some sheer beauty to it- it is by far jaco's best/most straight-ahead jazz playing-- you could buy this album alone for what herbie and jaco do on it... things seem limited to ballad-territory with 'pork pie hat', 'a chair in the sky', and 'sweet sucker dance', but they are all so beautiful that the homogenous programming doesn't factor too much into things- this is best heard late at night---

anyway, buy this to hear herbie, wayne and jaco play some beautiful music by one of the great composers of the 20th century: charles mingus

This is a must have album for any jazz-ballad fans.
It contains four songs, written by late legendary composer/bassist/bandleader Charles Mingus, to which Joni has written lyrics.
There are also two songs written entirely by Joni Mitchell which makes 6 songs (the 5 "raps" feature Mingus' voice, but they're only a few seconds long) so the album is a bit short, but that's its only weakness. The material is great, and definitely worth the money.
Very nice bass work (as so often) by Jaco Pastorius, who has also made a Pastorius-esque horn arrangement on the up tempo jazz-blues "The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines". Other musicians are Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Peter Erskine, Don Alias & Emil Richards Wolves... as proven here, you can't go wrong with such a quality line up...

This is an incredible album featuring not only a stellar line up but also world class vocal versions of tunes from one of the greatest jazzmen ever. The focus here is on the compoisitional structure of the tunes themselves and Mitchell's voice, not the chops of the instrumentalists (though this does not mean they hold back). I recommend this album to every Mingus, Mitchell or jazz listener out there.

I love this album! I borrowed it from library and I listened to it! I loved it! Even my friend listened to it! There's very good tracks and she has a beautiful voice! This has to be her best album! There cannot be better folk or what this is! Buy it! You won't regret it! I love this album! My favourite songs are "God Must Be a Boogie Man", "Chair in the Sky", "Sweet Suckar Dance", "Dry Cleaner from des Moines", and of course the touching song "Happy Birthday 1975". I love this album! You will love it too! I'm sure about it! Don't waste time listening to other artists! This is the best and you will fall in love!

I bought this CD today, when I "bumped" into it in a small CD store today. I've played it a couple of times already...

I played it over and over again 20 years ago, on my small cassette player, when I studied in England! And it is just as good as I remembered it. Superb music, superbly played, especially Wayne Shorter whose elegant subdued playing is a joy throughout.
This was my fist encounter with Joni Mitchell and nothing has surpassed it.

This record takes some time to sink in if you are familiar with Joni's better known work like Blue, Court And Spark, THOSL and Hejira. Some of those albums have some jazz-vibe but this album is incredible sparse with music written by the late jazz musician Charles Mingus and lyrics from Joni. Two songs are written only by Joni herself because Mingus died before the project was completed. There are also a couple of raps with dialogue from the birthday of Mingus and other unknown people. Joni's voice sounds really on her peak here, not as high and screechy as on her first albums, and not so smokey and mature as on her later releases. Great musicians like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and ofcourse Jaco Pastorius lend their talents to this album. This is not a good introduction to Joni's work and surtainly not her best work, but if you want to explore the lesser-known work from Joni, give this album a go and you will be amazed by the riks this artist is willing to take. Instead of making music for the masses, Joni went her own way and creates something that's still original, even after 24 years!

Like several of Mitchell's more musically challenging works, Mingus met with mixed reviews upon its release, but has only earned more respect and admiration with time. Is it jazz in its purest form? Of course not. Is it a doe-eyed folksinger yodeling about sunny mornings? Certainly not! It's a synthesis of styles, yes, but absolutely and firmly in the jazz genre, and that's real jazz, not Kenny G jazz. How bogus to declare to that Charlie didn't like these compositions! He heard all but one before his death, and the project wouldn't have proceeded without his blessing. Dry Cleaner from Des Moines, featuring an unforgettable bass tour de force by Jaco Pastorius, is the highlight of the set and hands-down evidence of the jazz-worthiness of the singer and her band. Brava Joni, the most courageous and indisputably most talented of pop musician of her day. Clearly, Mingus knew what he was doing when he asked her to take on this project.

This is not jazz. I never much liked Joni Mitchell, but I was curious to hear that Mingus had asked her to work with him, and knowing that the ecletic and insighful composer must find something simpatico in her music, I bought it. Actually, I'm only writing this review because the album pops up along with Mingus's original works, so jazz fans, as opposed to Mitchell fans, might be tempted to try it out.

Mithcell is no jazz singer, that's for sure, and the album is a terrible mismatch of musical mentalities.

In reading Mingus's biography, I find that--according to the biographer--the finacially desparate Mingus only used Mitchell to help him make a "pot boiler" of an album. Turns out he never cared for the collaboration. Neither did she, evidently, and felt she lost a lot of "pop" credibility making it.

Particularly wincing is her text for "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." Her singing is thin, expressionless, and the text is silly and obvious, more pitying than celebrating Lester Young and his music. John Handy is credited with the deathless tenor solo recorded by the Mingus group in 1959, and Mithcell actually sings the whole solo. An interesting hat trick, perhaps---but hardly the stuff of jazz.

I'd give it no stars if it were an option.

Man....The art of improvisation....felt deep within the soul..then played. Joni touched us deep with her poetic wisdom and wit. Jaco's playing with Joni is exceptional! Jaco fans will enjoy this one. If your a student of the Bass pick this one up. Bass players and musicians who grew up during the 70's will appreciate the groove and art of Jaco's playing and Joni's messages. Enjoy.

Female artists (Laura Nyro, Joni, Rickie Lee) are always getting the short end of the stick. When this album was released it was generally deemed a failure and it got no airplay and fell off the charts. Listening to it 22 years later I can't believe how underrated it has become. If you thought Joni was just a flower-powered folk singer then you were wrong. This is some of the most spacey, haunting, and eccentric music out there. Oh, the instruments may seem familiar but the way they are used is just plain out there. Jaco Pastorius can make his bass sound like a trumpet, sax, piano, Fender Rhodes, synth and more. Joni's guitar playing had never been or never was again this powerful or primal. Highlights: everything. God Must Be a Boogie Man a duet between Joni's guitar and Jaco's bass combines her haunting vocals backed by a chorus of what sounds like escapees from a mental institution. The Wolf That Lives In Lindsey: with Joni's near perfect phrasing and a devil-may-care guitar strum. The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines: an uptempo jazz-tune which, in a just world, would have been a great single. Oh and one more thing, Joni's voice would never again be this perfect. She had trained her voice and it has never sounded better. It didn't have that high screechy, nails-on-the-chalkboard sound of her early days, nor the Tom Waits-gravel quality it has today. This is an essential part of Joni's oeuvre. Get it now.