'Mingus at Monterey' by Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus was in an Ellington mood at Monterey. For half of his 1964 concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival, the great jazz bassist-composer played beloved melodies by the Duke. But the second half was filled with two long ones written by Mingus, “Meditations on Integration” and “Orange was the Color of her Dress.”
The new reissue includes both halves. The Ellingtonia, including “I’ve Got it Bad,” “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “Mood Indigo,” were performed with respectful, sometimes heated panache. With the playful “Orange,” Mingus assimilated a swatch of jazz history from the muggy tempo of New Orleans through abstractions of the blues. “Meditations” rises to majestic cacophony with a big band—including four saxophones, three trumpets, a trombone, a tuba—as Mingus crossed the boundary lines into something that can deservedly be called “Black classical music.” The CD includes the original LP liner notes and a booklet with contemporary reviews from Newsweek, the New York Times and elsewhere.The new reissue of this 1964 concert includes versions of Duke Ellington as well as Mingus originals.
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