Charles Mingus The Complete 1959 Columbia Recordings (C)(P) 1998 Sony Music Entertainment Inc. Columbia Legacy C3K 65145 3 Compact Discs

The Complete 1959 Columbia Recordings of Charles Mingus is a vivid portrait of an artist reaching a new plateau of greatness in a year when timeless improvisation abounded.

(from liner notes)

Tracks

• Disc One: "Mingus Ah Um"
  1. Better Git It In Your Soul (7:21)
  2. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (5:42)*
  3. Boogie Stop Shuffle (4:59)*
  4. Self-Portrait In Three Colors (3:08)
  5. Open Letter To Duke (5:49)*
  6. Bird Calls (6:18)*
  7. Fables Of Faubus (8:13)
  8. Pussy Cat Dues (9:13)*
  9. Jelly Roll (6:15)*
  10. Pedal Point Blues (6:28)+
  11. GG Train (4:37)+
  12. Girl Of My Dreams (4:08)+ (Sonny Clapp)
• Disc Two: "Mingus Dynasty"
  1. Slop (6:14)*
  2. Diane (7:28)
  3. Song With Orange (6:47)*
  4. Gunslinging Bird (5:12)*
  5. Things Ain't What They Used To Be (7:35)* (Mercer Ellington)
  6. Far Wells, Mill Valley (6:11)
  7. New Now Know How (4:12)
  8. Mood Indigo (8:12) (Duke Ellington)
  9. Put Me In That Dungeon (2:51)
  10. Strollin' (4:33)+ (Mingus, George Gordon)
• Disc Three: "Alternate Takes"
  1. Better Git It In Your Soul (Alternate) (8:30)
  2. Bird Calls (Alternate) (4:53)
  3. Jelly Roll (Alternate) (6:41)
  4. Song With Orange (Alternate) (6:42)*
  5. Diane (Alternate) (7:29)
  6. New Now Know How (Alternate) (4:19)

  All compositions by Charles Mingus unless otherwise noted.

  Selections marked "*" originally appeared in edited form and are now presented in unedited form for the first time on CD.

  Selections marked "+" are bonus tracks not included on the original LP.

Personnel

• Disc 1, 1,6-10; Disc 3, 1-3:
  • John Handy - alto sax, clarinet on 'Pussy Cat Dues'
  • Booker Ervin - tenor sax
  • Shafi Hadi - alto sax on 'Bird Calls' and 'Jelly Roll', tenor sax
  • Jimmy Knepper - trombone
  • Horace Parlan - piano
  • Charles Mingus - bass
  • Dannie Richmond - drums
• Disc 1, 2-5,11,12:
  • John Handy - alto sax, tenor sax on 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat'
  • Booker Ervin - tenor sax
  • Shafi Hadi - alto sax on 'Open Letter To Duke' and 'Girl Of My Dreams', tenor sax
  • Willie Dennis - trombone
  • Horace Parlan - piano
  • Charles Mingus - bass
  • Dannie Richmond - drums
• Disc 2, 2-4,6,7,10; Disc 3, 4-6:
  • Richard Williams - trumpet, except 'New Now Know How'
  • Jimmy Knepper - trombone
  • John Handy - alto sax
  • Booker Ervin - tenor sax
  • Benny Golson - tenor sax, except 'New Now Know How'
  • Jerome Richardson - baritone sax, except 'New Now Know How'
  • Teddy Charles - vibes, except 'New Now Know How'
  • Roland Hanna - piano, except 'New Now Know How' and 'Strollin''
  • Nico Bunink - piano on 'New Now Know How' and 'Strollin''
  • Charles Mingus - bass
  • Dannie Richmond - drums
  • Honey Gordon - vocal on 'Strollin''
• Disc 2, 1,5,8,9:
  • Don Ellis - trumpet
  • Jimmy Knepper - trombone
  • John Handy - alto sax
  • Booker Ervin - tenor sax
  • Ronald Hanna - piano
  • Charles Mingus - bass
  • Dannie Richmond - drums
  • Maurice Brown - cello on 'Slop' and 'Put Me In That Dungeon'
  • Seymour Barab - cello on 'Slop' and 'Put Me In That Dungeon'

Information

Date and location

• Disc 1, 1,6-10; Disc 3, 1-3: May 5, 1959, 30th Street Studio, New York City
• Disc 1, 2-5,11,12: May 12, 1959, 30th Street Studio, New York City
• Disc 2, 2-4,6,7,10; Disc 3, 4-6: November 1, 1959, 30th Street Studio, New York City
• Disc 2, 1,5,8,9: November 13, 1959, 30th Street Studio, New York City

Total time

• Disc 1: 72:33
• Disc 2: 59:40
• Disc 3: 38:44

Originally released

• Disc 1, 1,4,7: Columbia CS 8171 (1959, LP)
• Disc 1, 2: Mosaic MQ4-143 (1993, 4LP)
• Disc 1, 3,5,6,8-12; Disc 2, 1,3-5,10: Columbia (1979)
• Disc 2, 2,6-9: Columbia CS 8236 (1960, LP)
• Disc 3, 1-3,6: Mosaic MQ4-143 (1993, 4LP)
• Disc 3, 4,5: previously unissued

Producer

Teo Macero

Liner notes

Diane Dorr-Dorynek, Charles Mingus, Brian Priestley

See also

• Mingus Ah Um
• Mingus Dynasty
• Shoes Of The Fisherman's Wife
• The Complete 1959 CBS Charles Mingus Sessions (Mosaic)