Charles Mingus: Mingus in Argentina

This latter-day Charles Mingus group is ripe for reassessment. The new guys, Ricky Ford, Robert Neloms and Jack Walrath carried a heavy burden as they toured South America. The two-CD collection is a great feast of Mingus played by a band that, as yet, has never had real recognition. Much of the music was written for the Atlantic albums in the 1970s.

According to Sue Mingus, the tour of South America was concerning. She wrote in her book Tonight At Noon (2003) that they "were eager to return home to the land of Richard Nixon, whatever its flaws." They were appalled by the oppressive governments in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina so it is surprising that the outspoken Mingus came out of it unscathed.

Ricky Ford, before joining Mingus, had played for two years with the Mercer Ellington Orchestra. Mercer Ellington wondered why Ford wanted to leave, pointing out that he would probably earn less money. You can hear on this album that Ford had far more space for playing with Mingus rather than being confined to playing in Mercer's saxophone section. Ricky Ford was the replacement for George Adams. Adams could turn his solos into torrents of sound, and Mingus appreciated his playing. Wisely, Ford resisted Mingus' request to emulate Adams and plotted his own less flamboyant, more subtle, way through his improvisations and the complex arrangements. Throughout this album, Ford shows his versatility and his appreciation of the tradition.

Dannie Richmond has a long history with Mingus. No one drummed like Richmond! Self-taught and mentored by Mingus, he worked on most of the early Mingus albums. He was essential to Mingus' music. He drove it with passion. The Mingus/Richmond, bass and drums, team gave the music a fierce and flexible dynamic. They could set a tempo and vary it at will. Richmond's dynamic approach blends well with the percussive bass of Mingus. One of the most exciting sounds in jazz is when the Mingus/Richmond duo lift up the band and make it fly, as on the varied drumming on "Cumbia and Jazz Fusion." Richmond holds it all together.

Pianist Robert Neloms had the difficult task of replacing Don Pullen. He lacks Pullen's fire and Idiosyncratic technique and does not indulge in feats of exotic arpeggios. He does keep a constant forward momentum. "Noddin' Ya Head Blues" has Neloms at his most relaxed and the tempo he sets relaxes the whole group.

"Fables of Faubus." History lessons are needed to understand the genesis of this piece. The chant excoriates the part that Governor Orval Faubus played in opposing the desegregation of schools in the 1950s. First recorded in 1960, the words by Mingus and Richmond describe Faubus as ridiculous. The arrangement has varied little from the original recording. Jack Walrath has an assertive solo with his clear bell-like tone. The Neloms' solo keeps to the structure, aided by Mingus and Richmond. Mingus' powerful solo is a reminder of the strength of the bassist. Richmond's percussive episode at the end of the piece is inventive.

The other early piece is "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." It is music written to celebrate Lester Young, a timeless blues melody heavy with sadness and yet, somehow, celebratory, one of the great Mingus compositions.

Most of the music that Mingus writes has the feeling of improvisation. "Cumbia and Jazz Fusion" was recorded in 1977 for a film "Todo Modo" but not used. This is Mingus in an Ellington mood. It is a fusion of jazz with cumbia, a rhythm from Colombia. The original was recorded with a much larger group. It often seems as though Mingus cascaded exotic ideas without much thought of how to integrate them. It is a glorious Mingus melange. The task given to this small group is how to cope with the compressed composition without losing too much of the energy. The powerful Mingus bass solo has Latin overtones. The "shortnin' bread lyrics" are a criticism of racism. "Baby would like more than the bread.!"

"Sue's Changes," according to Mingus, are about the mood swings of Sue Mingus. Unfortunately, this piece is truncated on this recording. "Three Or Four Shades Of Blue" tests the versatility of the new band. Brian Priestley claims to detect more than three or four shades!

Duke Ellington was an important figure in the life of Mingus. "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" strangely veers in the solos to "Lush Life" which, of course, is written by Billy Strayhorn. Ellington's great baritone saxophonist is celebrated in "For Harry Carney" Ricky Ford and Jack Walrath pay tribute.

The two brief versions of Koko/Cherokee are genuflections to Charlie Parker, another inspiration for Mingus.

Musical acquisitions from Zev Feldman is always presented with such care and attention. This is rare but it should be the norm. Here we have accounts from Jack Walrath, Ricky Ford and Mingus' biographer Brian Priestley. Carlo Parisi presents a series of recollections. The audio presentation is good. The images give a richness to the whole presentation. Superb.

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