Let My Children Hear Music - LP

Charles Mingus: Let My Children Hear Music LTD version on vinyl LP in limited Remastered edition. This particular edition was published in USA in publishing company Columbia on 9. March 2010.

On the back cover of "Let My Children Hear Music", released by Columbia, Charlie Mingus thanks producer Teo Macereo for his "tireless efforts to create the best album I've ever made". From his deathbed in Mexico in 1979, he sent a note to Sy Johnson (who is responsible for many of the arrangements on this album) saying that he liked this LP the best of his career. Although recordings with small ensembles are usually cited as Mingus's most important works, this LP ranks at the top of his output and is unmatched by other excellent recordings by larger ensembles, by anyone, including Duke Ellington. The individual pieces on this LP have had plenty of time to mature over the years, one of them as early as 1939, and have occasionally been played live, but this was the first opportunity to record them with a large, well-rehearsed orchestra. Still, there were problems during and after the recording process. The exact instrumentation of the orchestra is unclear, mainly for contractual reasons; the various parts had to be pieced together by different arrangers, making it difficult to determine the actual originator; and Macero also edited the material freely (as he did with various Miles Davis projects) and sometimes quite extensively. Either way, the listener immediately forgets these criticisms once they hear the music. From the irresistible swing of "The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jiveass Slippers" to the swirling underside of "The I of Hurricane Sue," these recordings are among the most brilliant and inventive ever made and are full of life. Every track on this LP has its strengths, but these two simply must be mentioned. "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" is based on a piano improvisation by Mingus released on the 1964 album "Mingus Plays Piano". Its logical structure, playfulness, and crystalline moments of beauty would have been amazing in a polished composition; that the piece originated as an improvisation is almost unbelievable. "Hobo Ho," a divine force, is dominated by James Moody's impassioned saxophone, the accompanying brass firing riff after riff at the soloists at a feverish pace - the entire piece teeters on the edge of chaos. The album "Let My Children Hear Music" is a huge success and a must for any serious jazz fan. The album comes with a Mingus essay that covers a huge range of topics and reads like a Mingus inspired bass solo - highly recommended for anyone interested. This album cannot be recommended highly enough.

Album spans genres Jazz, Big Band and Post Bop. 180g Vinyl Limited Edition.