Mingus

This album, with a similar faked live atmosphere to CHARLES MINGUS PRESENTS CHARLES MINGUS, begins with the bassist speaking to an imaginary audience, and things soon get moving with "MDM", an acronym for Monk-Duke-Mingus. It intertwines three themes--Monk's "Straight, No Chaser", Ellington's "Main Stem", and Mingus' "51st Street Blues". Aside from spotlighting solos by Eric Dolphy, Ted Curson and Jimmy Knepper, this song also displays a large variety of jazz styles, from traditional to cutting edge. For "Stormy Weather", the players are reduced to a quartet of Mingus, longtime partner-in-rhythm Danny Richmond, Eric Dolphy, and Ted Curson. No standards in Mingus' hands are dry or predictable, and this one is no exception.
The third and last song here, "Lock 'Em Up"--originally titled "Hellview of Bellevue"--is a reference to Mingus' stint at the infamous New York hospital. It's an intense and intensely personal number, full of anguished voices and dissonance, and it hits the listener with all the verity of personal experience.|