Released 1957 Length 57:29 A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry
(1957) Weary Blues
(1958) Release date 1957 Genre Jazz | Recorded October 1957 Producer Jeff Palo Artist Charles Mingus Label Bethlehem Records | |
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Similar Charles Mingus albums, Jazz albums | ||
A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry is an album by jazz bassist Charles Mingus. In spite of the title, the album does not contain any poetry. "Scenes in the City", however, includes narration performed by Mel Stewart and written by actor Lonne Elder with assistance from Langston Hughes. The composition "Duke's Choice" re-appears, in updated form, as "I X Love" on the 1963 album Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus. "Nouroog", "Duke's Choice" and "Slippers" form the basis of the suite "Open Letter to Duke" on Mingus Ah Um.
Contents
The CD issues of the album include three bonus tracks: the Dizzy Gillespie standard "Woody 'n' You", Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce", which is listed as "Bounce" and miscredited to Mingus, and an alternate take of "Slippers".
Reception
The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow called it "An excellent set of challenging yet often accessible music". The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives the album a three-star review (of a possible four stars), and describes it as "an opportunity for Mingus to experiment with texts and with pure sound". The Penguin editors furthermore cite Clarence Shaw's performance on "New York Sketchbook" as "the best trumpet heard on a Mingus album for some time before or since".
Track listing
All titles by Charles Mingus, except where noted.
- "Scenes in the City" (Music: Mingus; Narrative: Elder, Hughes) – 11:55
- "Nouroog" – 4:52
- "New York Sketchbook" – 8:55
- "Duke's Choice" – 6:27
- "Slippers" – 3:29
- "Woody 'n' You" (Gillespie) – 8:44
- Mistitled "Wouldn't You" on earlier releases
- "Bounce" (Parker) – 9:22
- "Slippers (Alternate Take)" – 3:50
Personnel
Songs
1Scenes in the City11:38
2Nouroog4:45
3New York Sketchbook8:43