Charles Mingus: In Argentina - The Buenos Aires Concerts

     I had the enormous pleasure of seeing the Charles Mingus quintet in performance during the last few years of his career, twice in San Francisco, and once in New York. The last show I caught was at the Great American Music Hall in April 1977, with the same unit that appears on the newly released In Argentina - The Buenos Aires Concerts. The quintet toured the States that year, played in South America in June and then in Europe in July before returning to New York, on the last tour that Mingus would make. This set is not only the first official release of this concert material, but as Mingus biographer Brian Priestley mentions in his essay for the booklet, it’s also the first legitimate documentation of this edition of the quintet. In addition to Priestley’s notes, the booklet includes rare photographs, a long and insightful excerpt from Claudio Parisi’s Grandes del jazz internacional en Argentina 1956-1979, and reminiscences of working with Mingus by trumpeter Walrath and saxophonist Ford. Walrath writes that “playing with Mingus, to quote Dannie Richmond, ‘is a bitch in every sense of the word.’” Mingus, he notes, “always wanted something different.” Ford, who was barely 23 at the time of the 1977 tour, tells the story of how he came to be in the quintet. About Mingus, he writes that “when you played with him, you were walking on eggshells. You never knew what was going to happen. Still, it was a great experience ...” The programs are mostly drawn from tunes recorded on Mingus’ Seventies Atlantic albums: Changes One, Changes Two, Three Or Four Shades Of Blue, and Cumbia And Jazz Fusion, along with two older favorites. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a 1959 elegy to the great Lester Young, is the first number of the June 2 show. The still relevant 1957 composition Fables Of Faubus, complete with repartee, a very fine bass solo, and a drum solo, comes from the June 3 performance. As an acknowledgment of Mingus’ roots in bebop, the band plays a quick medley of Koko and Cherokee as a theme statement. A brief piano solo by Mingus ends both nights. Although Mingus was ill and in a generally bad humor according to contemporary accounts, the music is powerful on both nights, with enthusiastic audiences loudly approving. Mingus might not have been soloing as much as he had been earlier in his career, but his continued fierce ensemble playing combined with the talents and dedication of this multi-generational unit make this a collection not to be missed. Highest recommendation! 

Resonance HCD- 2077 (2-CDs & 3-Lps); Jack Walrath (tpt) Ricky Ford (ts) Robert Neloms (p) Charles Mingus (b, p on *) Dannie Richmond (d); Buenos, Argentina, June 2, 1977 (disc 1) or June 3, 1977 (disc 2); Disc 1 (77:50): Introduction/ Goodbye Pork Pie Hat/ Duke Ellington’ s Sound of Love/ Noddin’ Ya Head Blues/ Three or Four Shades of Blue/ Koko; Cherokee/ For Harry Carney/ Cumbia & Jazz Fusion/ Solo Piano Improvisation*. Disc 2 (33:32) Sue’s Changes (incomplete)/ Koko; Cherokee; Band intros/ Fables of Faubus/ Solo Piano Improvisation*. resonancerecords.org