Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia,
Mingus Ah Um is a stunning summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point for beginners. While there's also a strong case for
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady as his best work overall, it lacks
Ah Um's immediate accessibility and brilliantly sculpted individual tunes.
Mingus' compositions and arrangements were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith on
Mingus Ah Um. The band includes longtime
Mingus stalwarts already well versed in his music, like saxophonists
John Handy, Shafi Hadi, and
Booker Ervin; trombonists
Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis; pianist
Horace Parlan; and drummer
Dannie Richmond. Their razor-sharp performances tie together what may well be
Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions. At least three became instant classics, starting with the irrepressible spiritual exuberance of signature tune "Better Get It in Your Soul," taken in a hard-charging 6/8 and punctuated by joyous gospel shouts. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a slow, graceful elegy for
Lester Young, who died not long before the sessions. The sharply contrasting "Fables of Faubus" is a savage mockery of segregationist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, portrayed musically as a bumbling vaudeville clown (the scathing lyrics, censored by skittish executives, can be heard on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus). The underrated "Boogie Stop Shuffle" is bursting with aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to
Mingus' most revered influences: "Open Letter to Duke" is inspired by Duke Ellington and "Jelly Roll" is an idiosyncratic yet affectionate nod to jazz's first great composer,
Jelly Roll Morton. It simply isn't possible to single out one
Mingus album as definitive, but
Mingus Ah Um comes the closest. ~ Steve Huey