The Mingus Big Band embraces the legacy of the great bass player and composer by playing his work with fully realized orchestration.
It's
one of a very few instances where I enjoy the updated work as much as
the original material. While Mingus worked with small and mid-sized
groups and often facing various distractions, the Mingus Big Band
projects a giant sound — suitable to convey the man's enormous appetites
and vision — within the nurturing confines of an association dedicated to his work.
Mingus's wife, Sue Mingus, has dedicated her life to preserving and furthering his music. Her memoir, Tonight at Noon, portrays the stormy, loving marriage of two conflicting personalities.
I
don't mean to minimize Mingus's original work. I heard the 1970s
quintet with Danny Richmond, Don Pullen, Jack Walrath and George Adams. I
also have heard the big band, which has been performing weekly in New
York for two decades. For Jazz Appreciation Month, I want to express my
appreciation for all things Mingus.
If I had an
opportunity to have brain surgery, and the surgeon offered to poke my
brain in one spot that would enable me to relive one of these
performances, I would choose Mingus himself without hesitation. It would
be worthwhile just to witness once again George Adams' eyeballs
disappear into the recesses of his head during his saxophone frenzies
(0:25 in the video below).
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