Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus


Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus is a 1964 album by American jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus.

Background

Mingus collaborated with arranger/orchestrator Bob Hammer to score the music for a large ensemble of brass and saxophones.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Charles Mingus, except where noted.
  1. "II B.S." – 4:48
  2. "I X Love" – 7:41
  3. "Celia" – 6:14
  4. "Mood Indigo" – 4:45
  5. "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul" – 6:30
  6. "Theme for Lester Young" – 5:51
  7. "Hora Decubitus" – 4:41
  8. "Freedom" – 5:10 Bonus track on CD reissue
Some editions of this album, such as Impulse Records AS-54-B, exclude the track "Freedom."

Historical context

Most of the compositions on this album had been previously recorded or have since been rerecorded, some under different titles, on other albums.
Tracks #1 and 4–8, recorded on September 20, 1963:
Tracks #2 and 3, recorded on January 20, 1963:
Freedom, by Charles Mingus
The lyrics, "This mule ain't from Moscow", might be a reference to a Moscow Mule, a drink made of vodka and ginger beer popular in the 1950s, but is likely also referring to African-American slaves as the "mule".
Mingus performed a number of other songs with spoken poetry or narration:
Several of his other pieces have lyrics: