Album Of The Week - Charles Mingus - Oh Yeah

[limeygringo]

Link to a playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA7529BAC8069DB8A

[not tyson]

Not my cup of tea.

3/10

[Kittaan]

Great album. If anyone is looking for a more representative (IMO) Mingus album, try Mingus Ah Um.

[UndKeineZwEier]

Ur a mingus

[The Boss]

Yep, well familiar territory.

8.5/10

[The Boss]

Oh, just realised that this was posted by a fucking no one who rarely posts in this forum.

0/10.

[limeygringo]

Great album. If anyone is looking for a more representative (IMO) Mingus album, try Mingus Ah Um.

I agree Mingus Ah Um is the mightier album with some of the best recordings if his staples (hit in yo soul, porkpie, open letter, etc). Though I've always loved the feel of Oh Yeah, it's interesting to hear a more mellow Mingus. Probably has to do with him being on piano instead of bass.

[MOG]

EXCELLENT pick Limey. 8.5 / 10

[Kittaan]

Great album. If anyone is looking for a more representative (IMO) Mingus album, try Mingus Ah Um.

I agree Mingus Ah Um is the mightier album with some of the best recordings if his staples (hit in yo soul, porkpie, open letter, etc). Though I've always loved the feel of Oh Yeah, it's interesting to hear a more mellow Mingus. Probably has to do with him being on piano instead of bass.

Yep, that's where I was going with the "more representative" comment. This is really interesting for that reason, having him on piano. I wonder how that went down, and how much influence/direction he had on Doug Watkins for this session. I did a brief Google search and there's not much mention of it. I bet this is addressed in a biography somewhere.

"After several sessions with Columbia and Candid, Charles Mingus briefly returned to Atlantic and cut the freewheeling Oh Yeah, which has to rank as the wildest of all his classic albums. Mingus plays no bass whatsoever, hiring Doug Watkins to fill in while he accompanies the group on piano and contributes bluesy vocals to several tracks (while shouting encouragement on nearly all of them). Mingus had always had a bizarre sense of humor, as expressed in some of his song titles and arranging devices, but Oh Yeah often gets downright warped. That's partly because Mingus is freed up to vocalize more often, but it's also due to the presence of mad genius Roland Kirk. His chemistry with Mingus is fantastically explosive, which makes sense -- both were encyclopedias of jazz tradition, but given over to oddball modernist experimentation. It's a shame Kirk only spent three months with the band, because his solo interpretations are such symbiotic reflections of Mingus' intent as a composer. Look no further than "Hog Callin' Blues," a stomping "Haitian Fight Song" descendant where Kirk honks and roars the blues like a man possessed. Mingus' vocal selections radiate the same dementia, whether it's the stream-of-consciousness blues couplets on "Devil Woman," the dark-humored modern-day spiritual "Oh Lord Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me," or the dadaist stride piano bounce of "Eat That Chicken," a nod to Fats Waller's comic novelties. Elsewhere, "Passions of a Man" sounds almost like musique concrète, while "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am" nicks some Monk angularity and "Ecclusiastics" adds some testifying shouts and a chorale-like theme to Mingus' gospel-jazz hybrid. Oh Yeah is probably the most offbeat Mingus album ever, and that's what makes it so vital. [Some reissues add three bonus tracks from the session, first released on Tonight at Noon.]" - http://www.allmusic.com/album/oh-yeah-mw0000198478

To any that dismiss this after a quick scan, you are missing out. Sure, it's different and less accessible than most of the shit you listen to, but give it a chance and it will pay off.

Speaking of which: Typical Tyson - he claims to be so open minded musically but this is what he offers:

Not my cup of tea.

3/10

Care to elaborate fuckwad?

[not tyson]

Not my cup of tea so I won't waste your time.

No need to be so upset, friend.

[Kittaan]

friend

Friend? Are we.... friends now? Don't play with my emotions...

[basejumper]

listening now.... should be good. I like blues.

[basejumper]

Not too bad.
6.9