A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry

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A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry
Mingusmodernjazzsymposium.jpg
Studio album by
Charles Mingus
ReleasedMay or June 1959 [1] [2]
RecordedOctober 1957
Genre Jazz
Length57:29
Label Bethlehem
Producer Jeff Palo
Charles Mingus chronology
Weary Blues
(1958)		A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry
(1959)		 Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland
(1959)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]

A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry is an album by the jazz bassist, composer, and band leader Charles Mingus, released by Bethlehem Records in mid-1959. [1] [2] In spite of the title, the album does not contain any poetry. [3] "Scenes in the City", however, includes narration performed by Mel Stewart and written by actor Lonne Elder with assistance from Langston Hughes. [4] [6] [7] The composition "Duke's Choice" re-appears, in updated form, as "I X Love" on the 1963 album Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus . [8] [9] [10] "Nouroog", "Duke's Choice" and "Slippers" form the basis of the suite "Open Letter to Duke" on Mingus Ah Um . [11]

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". [12]

Reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow called the album "an excellent set of challenging yet often accessible music". [3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz deemed it "an opportunity for Mingus to experiment with texts and with pure sound". [5] 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". [5]

Track listing

All titles by Charles Mingus, except where noted.

  1. "Scenes in the City" (Music: Mingus; Narrative: Elder, Hughes) – 11:55
  2. "Nouroog" – 4:52
  3. "New York Sketchbook" – 8:55
  4. "Duke's Choice" – 6:27
  5. "Slippers" – 3:29
  6. "Woody 'n' You" (Gillespie) – 8:44
    • Mistitled "Wouldn't You" on earlier releases
  7. "Bounce" (Parker) – 9:22
  8. "Slippers (Alternate Take)" – 3:50

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 Editorial Staff, Cash Box (16 May 1959). "May Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc., NY. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. 1 2 Editorial Staff, Billboard (22 June 1959). "A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry with Charlie Mingus". The Billboard. The Billboard Publishing Co. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Yanow, Scott (2011). "A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry - Charles Mingus | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  4. 1 2 Heckman, Don (2001-02-19). "A More Complete Introduction to Mingus". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). New York: Penguin. pp.  907. ISBN   0-14-102327-9.
  6. ↑ Hentoff, Nat (1957). A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry (CD booklet). Charles Mingus. Bethlehem Records/Shout! Factory. pp. 3–6. DK 37964.
  7. ↑ The liner notes credit "Lonnie Elders"; other sources credit "Lonne Elder III."
  8. ↑ Santoro, Gene (2000). Myself when I Am Real . New York: Oxford University Press US. pp.  413. ISBN   0-19-514711-1.
  9. ↑ Mathieson, Kenny (1999). Giant Steps. Canongate US. p. 217. ISBN   0-86241-859-3.
  10. ↑ Nat Hentoff identifies "Nouroog" as the precursor to "I X Love". Hentoff, Nat (1963). Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (CD booklet). Charles Mingus. Impulse! Records. pp. 2–10. IMPD-170.
  11. ↑ Priestley, Brian (1998). "Charles Mingus". Mingus Ah Um (CD booklet). Charles Mingus. Sony Music. pp. 17–20. CK 65512.
  12. ↑ Jenkins, Todd S. (2006). I Know what I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 55. ISBN   9780275981020.
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