Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (Candid) 180g LP

Charles Mingus is considered one of the giants of jazz. Bassist, pianist, composer and band leader, his career spanned three decades and included collaborations with many of the greats such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Herbie Hancock. Mingus's compositions continue to be played by contemporary musicians ranging from the repertory bands Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty and Mingus Orchestra. His work has received serious attention in academia and in 1993, the Library of Congress acquired Mingus's collected papers - including scores, sound recordings, correspondence and photos - in what they described as "the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library's history."

The combo here, referred to by Mingus as The Jazz Workshop, had been in residence at the Showplace on W. 4th St. in Greenwich Village for nearly a year when they entered the studio to record what became the album Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus in October of 1961. Saxophonist and bass clarinetist Eric Dolphy, trumpeter Ted Curson and drummer Dannie Richmond had been performing the material on this album for weeks. Mingus decided to set a mood that might resemble a night at the club, in hopes to capture the fierceness the musicians had been exploring on stage. "I finally realized that a lot of jazz records don't make it because the guys almost unsoundly cage their approach in a studio from what they do every night," Mingus said. "I finally wanted to make an album the way we are on the job."

To recreate this atmosphere, Mingus introduces the songs as if he were speaking to the audience, giving off the illusion of a live album. The charade paid off. Produced by Candid co-founder, famed music critic and social activist Nat Hentoff, the album accomplishes what the best of Mingus's work accomplishes: the perfect tension between jazz played as an ensemble and jazz played as totally free. The LP includes extraordinary liner notes written by Hentoff himself, giving a context and insight that adds to the experience of hearing these magnificent performances.