Search - Charles Mingus :: Oh Yeah

Who Says Humor and Jazz Are Mutually Exclusive?

P. McKenna | Atlanta GA | 04/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This recording in part defines why I love Mingus so much, the man was a MAJOR risk-taker! Never content to sit in one area for long, Mingus not only went out ona limb, but had a lot of fun doing it, you can feel the joy as you listen, and judging by the musicians performances, the joy was contagious!



"Hog Callin' Blues" is unabashed, pedal to the metal shoutin' blues, literally, as Mingus just whoops and hollers with gleeful abandon encouraging the musicians to go for broke. "Ecclusiastics" and "Oh Lord Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me" show the influence of church music that Mingus grew up with, the slow gospel flavor mixed with passionate blues. In addition, "Eat That Chicken" is just HILARIOUS (and apparently sent many a vegetarian into an uproar), and the brilliance is uninhibited with tracks like "Devil Woman" and the very unpredictable "Passions Of A Man".



Mingus took a major departure here in another respect, by giving the bass to one Doug Watkins (who sadly died in a car crash not long after the album's release) who handles the task more than admirably. Opting to sit down at the piano and even SING, Mingus goes for broke to express how he feels deep down and let people in on more aspects of his inner world, the humor, the pain and everything else! Drummer Dannie Richmond heats things up considerably for all involved with his fiery and incredibly flexible playing. The pairing of Brooker Ervin and Rahsaan Roland Kirk on various reeds is nothing short of genius, between Ervin's pointed explorations on tenor and Kirk's crazy ecclectic palette of sounds, including tenor sax, flute, siren, stritch (a sort of mutant soprano sax) and manzello (a straightened alto sax). Jimmy Knepper adds pungent statements on his trombone, with much humor and agility.



Colorful and hilariously unpredictable is the only way I can think to describe this unique blues-drenched Mingus offering."

I know it's good all around, but....

alex bushman | Michigan | 05/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love this album for all the noise brought on the first track, "Hog callin' Blues." It's so loose and all over the place a friend of mine who'd never heard of Mingus before, but said he liked jazz said, "it sounds like the warmup." I just shook my head, it's just so much fun to listen to and imagine Mingus going nuts onstage and in the studio. I bop my head to it subconsciously a bit and then when I realize it, I keep it up because the song is so much fun. I can't imagine living another day without that groove in my head. As for the rest, it's all fun, weird, and funny, but for me, the first track is the moneymaker."