Search - Charles Mingus :: Clown

THE CLOWN IS TRUE GENIUS. AMAZING PIECE OF MUSICAL WORK.

John W. Shearer | Richmond, Ky. USA | 10/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My first reading of The Clown has just taken place and my opinion is that it is a understated and wonderfully orchestrated piece of musical composition. The cohesion works just fine with the addition of the composition's (Passions Of A Woman Loved) and (Tonight At Noon). This could serve nicly as a score for a film. The typical hard charging grind of the ryhthm section featuring Mr. Mingus on bass and the ever solid drumming of Dannie Richmond is right on time as always. Hadi and Knepper's horn contributions are stuff of genius as well. The interplay between the musicians is fantastic. The narration on (The Clown) by Jean Shepherd weaves itself very nicly within the framework of the composition and appears to be just what Dr. Mingus ordered. Being a jazz drummer and composer myself I can fully appreciate the consentration, dedication, energy and compositional talent that is displayed in this set. I am a die hard Mingus fan and this just adds to his huge catalog of musical treasures for the world to enjoy and appreciate. I enjoy the complete Mingus catalog and this one is a somewhat overlooked gem to be sure. Mingus the poet scores a knock out here folks. Do yourself a huge favor and pick this one up. If you love straight up brilliant jazz and classic composition's of not only jazz but any genre, then you will love this masterpiece. It's a keeper and a true treasure."

Near-Essential Mingus

finulanu | Here, there, and everywhere | 03/14/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, the good news: This album starts with one of Mingus' greatest longer songs, the propulsive Haitian Fight Song, appropriately rousing with a characteristically long, brilliant bass solo. Blue Cee is good, but a bit too long - the lovely Reincarnation of a Lovebird is more like it, his best ballad with the exception of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.



Enter the title track.



The Clown itself is a spoken-word piece narrated by Jean Shepherd. And while his A Christmas Story is one of the funniest movies ever made, this is a complete failiure. It's not just that I don't find the story all that great - though I don't - the performances aren't all that interesting eitehr, so if you don't like the narration, too bad. I appreciate Mingus' avant-garde nature, but I'd rather hear that on A Foggy Day (In San Francisco) or Bird Calls."

Mingus at His Best

J. Conrad Guest | Northville, MI United States | 04/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Prior to purchasing The Clown, I'd owned only one other Charles Mingus CD -- Oh Yeah! -- which I'd purchased many years ago. Frankly I was disappointed in Oh Yeah! It was just a little too out there for me and I didn't care for the gospel influence on many of the tracks. But when I heard the sample tracks from The Clown, I decided to give Mingus another try, and boy, am I ever glad that I did.



I'm a big Monk and Brubeck aficionado, and have gotten perhaps a little too comfortable with hearing Charlie Rouse and Paul Desmond's saxophones, so it's delightful to hear on these tracks a full complement of sax, trumpet and trombone, resulting in a fuller sound than a mere quartet can provide.



This reissue includes two tracks that were left off the original LP version -- Passions of a Woman Loved and Tonight at Noon -- both are worthy efforts, although the latter tends to push that envelope from subtle dissonance into outright cacophony.



The original tunes -- Haitian Fight Song, Blue Cee, Reincarnation of a Lovebird and The Clown -- are all wonderful compositions, well-conceived and more than ably performed by the musicians. The title track alone is well worth the price of this edition; at times playful, it transitions smoothly into melancholia, with moments of calamity sprinkled in, as Jean Shepard provides the sad narration. The overall effect reminds the listener of the fine line between comedy and tragedy.



Highly recommended.

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