AN EXCITING LONG UNHEARD CONCERT FROM A PHENOMENAL BAND
Stuart Jefferson | San Diego,Ca | 07/28/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Two discs 57, 59 minutes each approximately. The sound, taken from recordings off the radio, is overall good, if ever-so-slightly flat. There are very occasional short sonic distortions which are of minor annoyance. Each musician can clearly be heard-from the bass to the higher notes of the flute. The booklet has background information on the Mingus/Dolphy tour of 1964 (the year of these recordings), and also touches on their previous recording history. Included are several atmospheric photos of individual band members. Thee are also short (a couple of sentences) explanations of each track.
This wonderful concert, originally released on vinyl is now, for the first time, released on CD. For those who are familiar with this band and the era, this set is worthwhile. If you're not to familiar with this great group, this set will open your ears to some great jazz. The band consists of: Mingus-bass, the great Johnny Coles-trumpet (hear his fine work on Blue Note Records), Dolphy-alto sax/flute/bass clarinet, Clifford Jordan-tenor sax, Jacki Byard-piano, and Mingus' best drummer-Dannie Richmond. This was the last complete concert Johnny Coles would play with the band, and of course, Dolphy would die in June of 1964 in Europe, which makes these recordings that much more valuable. This set has the same personnel (and some of the tunes) on the great set "Charles Mingus Sextet With Eric Dolphy, Cornell 1964" on Blue Note Records. There's also a 2 CD Mingus set titled "Revenge!", recorded in Paris on April 17th-the day after this concert, with the same band (and again some of the same tunes), with Coles playing on one track-another good release for Mingus (et al) listeners. Listening to these different sets you can hear the various paths the band would take, especially on the longer tracks, and needless to say, all three of these sets should be in anyone's library who values good jazz/Mingus/Dolphy.
The first disc begins with a solo piano piece by Byard, in homage to Art Tatum (hear his solo work)and Fats Waller-two of the finest (if not the finest) stride piano players in jazz history, and Byard plays in his best stride piano mode. The next track is played by Mingus who is backed solely by Byard's piano, and is a good example of Mingus's playing a composition which he didn't compose. The third track, which is a bit over 26 minutes in length, is the first instance we get to hear the entire band play, and they are firing on all cylinders. Everyone gets to play and the group interaction is very intuitive and exciting. The tune, "So Long Eric", is a tribute to Dolphy, who would leave the band in order to settle permanently in Europe. The final track, "Parkeriana", is a tribute to Charlie Parker. The tune is actually a mixture of several tunes from/about Parker. Stretching over 21 minutes, the group plays through various changes and once again, they show what a deep, powerful group they had become.
The second disc is comprised of two long tracks. The first track is usually known as "Meditations On A Pair Of Wire Cutters", but here its titled "Meditations On Integration". This track has more of the wonderful interplay of the entire group, with a number of exciting solos. The final track, also well known, is "Fables Of Faustus", which in its 34 minutes, goes through a number of moods and tempos, with Coles (among others) getting off a fine solo, and the tune is a fine example and ending to a fine concert. Listening to these sides its nice to think what it must have been like to hear this music, created by these jazz giants, sitting in the audience. Oh well.
This set is a very worthwhile addition to the Mingus/Dolphy et al European recordings from 1964. The music was so forward-thinking that some of the arrangements sound contemporary today. This recording can easily sit next to any other sets from this period. The music is exciting, intelligent, visceral, and (especially with Dolphy) pushes the boundaries of what jazz was during this time period. This music will draw you in and then will deepen your appreciation and amazement of what these remarkable musicians were capable of doing night after night. This is one of the better concerts this band played during this era. Listen and hear for yourself.
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