Charles Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus 45RPM (2 LP)

180g 45rpm Double LP!
Mastered by Kevin Gray from the Original Master Tape!
Pressed at QRP!
Produced by Impulse! A&R director Bob Thiele in 1963, this recording is a major showcase of the talented Charles Mingus as a bassist, pianist and writer. In his 1963 original liner notes, critic-at-large Nat Hentoff said that of all the musicians, it is impossible to remain indifferent to Mingus. This recording more than any other testifies to Hentoff's claim. More so today than in '60s, there is truly only one Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus.
Bassist Charles Mingus was considered an unpleasant genius during his lifetime. No one doubted his abilities on the bass and his much more far-reaching genius as an arranger, but his talent to seek a quarrel not only with his teammates, but also with the listeners of a live concert, kept many people at a distance. If all the conditions were finally to his satisfaction, as in this 1963 shot, then the results were indeed fantastic.
In principle, the album contains variations of his own and others' works and could therefore pass as boring and meaningless if Mingus had not lived out his genius as an arranger in order to transfer the new interpretations far beyond the originals to independent works. The band was not only well cast, but also quite large.
...this reissue has a life and immediacy I've not heard before with this title, whose stunning music overwhelms any flaws of the recording." - Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound, June/July 2009