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Welcome to a new edition of the Daily Music Picks newsletter!
Today’s music pick is one of the finest achievements of Charles Mingus’ career, a record that straddles the line between genius and chaos.
Genre: Jazz, Experimental
Label: Columbia
Release Date: February 1, 1972
Vibe: 😵💫
In the original liner notes for this album, Charles Mingus proclaimed it “the best album I have ever made.” Coming from the jazz titan who’d already released classic LPs like Mingus Ah Um and The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, they were striking words, especially as his musical output and health were already in sharp decline upon its release in early 1972. However, from the opening swell of “The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jiveass Slippers,” it’s not hard to see why Mingus felt that way. Consisting of seven long-gestating compositions written for a large-ensemble orchestra, his ideas have never sounded more powerful or imaginative than they do here. Compared with his smaller-scale, more intimate recording sessions, there’s a sense of scope and cinematic flair that arguably outdoes similar work he completed with Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.
To be fair, this record belongs to producer Teo Macero as much as it does to Mingus. Like Bitches Brew, another Macero’s editing tour de force, bits and pieces of arrangements and orchestration are stitched together with such precision that the resulting textures and interplay are really a marvel to listen to. I’m not sure any other producer could’ve pulled off something like “Hobo Ho,” with the pulsing horns pushing the different solos to the point of near-mayhem. It’s chaotic without being unlistenable, beautiful without worrying about keeping each sonic aspect neat and tidy. The closer “The I of Hurricane Sue” is another masterstroke, a spiraling epic that’s one of the most emotional pieces Mingus ever composed. It’s a top-shelf late-career outing that, with Macero’s irreplaceable contribution, has grown into one of jazz’s most compelling artistic achievements.
👉 Don’t forget to click the album image to stream the album on your favorite platform 👈