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Posted

The man's magnum opus, which finally arrived in the mail today. Unfortunately, due to the logistics of presenting the whole piece, it never got performed during Mingus's lifetime. This posthumous release seems to have a nice lineup for '89: Randy Brecker and Wynton on trumpet, John Abercrombie on guitar, and like 27 other guys on everything from the usual big band instruments to contra clarinet and tuba. I've had this recommended to me by several people; hopefully I will be able to do the same. I'll drop thoughts in periodically, probably just talking to myself like that astroboy thread, but Charles Mingus is a lot cooler than Astroboy.

Posted

I think Epitaph might get the magnum opus title just for its sheer breadth: it's over two hours and around 3400 measures. Plus it has that "lost classic" allure, like SMiLE.

 

"Percussion Discussion," in spite of its name, is not really a percussion discussion at all. I was expecting some sort of Varese/John Cage sort of percussion ensemble stuff, maybe dueling with the bass. It kind of sounds Third Stream-y, like the Don Ellis Orchestra, which reminds me that I lost "Strawberry Soup" in the MP3 player crash and I want it back.

Posted

Mingus is easily my favorite jazz musician. Coltrane & some others are close, but the fact that Mingus gets mentioned as an afterthough more frequently than the other legends gives him an edge in my book. Not sure if that makes me borderline "elitist" or anything; it's just a sad truth.

 

And since this is as good of a thread to ask in as any: does anyone know a good place to download jazz online? I've grown tired of what I have, and don't want to have to resort to going to the library to borrow & DL their discs.

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