CHARLES MINGUS — Mingus Three (aka The Wild Bass aka Mingus Moods aka C.M. Trio) (review)

CHARLES MINGUS — Mingus Three (aka The Wild Bass aka Mingus Moods aka C.M. Trio) album cover Album · 1957 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
js
1957 was a very productive year for Charles Mingus, a year that found him knocking out three very ambitious albums, “The Clown”, “East Coasting” and “Duke’s Choice”, plus one more that was a little more on the fun side, “Trio”, with Hampton Hawes on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums. This album is a bit different from the more experimental works that Mingus was producing at this time, more of a jam session really, “Trio” finds Mingus on Hampton Hawes’ turf; tough gritty hard bop blues played with a jazz man’s finesse and creativity. This almost comes across as more a Hawes album than a Mingus one, but then there are enough bass solos to remind us that it is Mingus’ date.

There are four standards on board, plus two Mingus originals and one by Hawes. Of the two Mingus originals, “Back Home Blues” is a straight up blues that almost sounds more Otis Spann, than jazz. His “Dizzy Moods”, on the other hand, features some of the rhythmic change ups that Mingus had been experimenting with. Hawe’s “Hamp’s New Blues” may have just been a group jam, but it’s more jazz oriented approach to the blues has a lot of energy and is one of the album’s best cuts. All of the standards are treated imaginatively, with Dannie Richmond’s Latin fusion beat transforming the sometimes wore out “Summertime”. After six blues oriented numbers, “Trio” closes with the ballad, “Laura”, which is handled beautifully by Hawes.

“Trio” is a great sample of late 50s hard bop piano bordering on soul jazz and should easily appeal to fans of Hampton Hawes and his many followers. Mingus fans may want this too, just know that this one is more about Mingus blowing off some steam in a bluesy jam session
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Cabaret Eclectic Fusion
MARIUS NESET
Buy this album from MMA partners
Living Ghosts Post-Fusion Contemporary
MICHAEL WOLLNY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Live at Donte's, Vol. 1 Vocal Jazz
MIKE CAMPBELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
Sunday Afternoon Fusion
FURIO DI CASTRI
Buy this album from MMA partners
São Paulo Creative 4 : Supernova Avant-Garde Jazz
IVO PERELMAN
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Sunday afternoon
FURIO DI CASTRI
snobb· 7 hours ago
Harmônicos
FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO
js· 22 hours ago
Con Alma
GENE BERTONCINI
js· 1 day ago
Our Walk (Live)
BEN MARKLEY
js· 1 day ago
Solar (feat. Vicente Archer & Otis Brown III)
JERRY LÉONIDE
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed