Tijuana Moods

Occupation

Tijuana Moods is a jazz album by Charles Mingus, which was recorded in 1957 but not published until 1962.

History of the album and circumstances

After a trio recording with Hampton Hawes and his drummer Dannie Richmond for Jubilee Records on 9 July and recordings under Jimmy Kneppers line for his debut label on July 10 In 1957, in the weeks that followed his first album in stereo, which is also his first should be production for a bigger label.

In an appearance in a movie theater concert in mid-July in Greenwich Village bandleader tried a Report concluded that Metronome " new forms of improvisation with the jazz form." In addition to " The Clown " with the actor Jean Shepherd (1921-1999) that he introduced " Tijuana Table Dance " with the flamenco dancer Ysabel Moran on. During the following performances in Washington, DC and on the first Great South Bay Festival on July 20, 1957 in Great River (Long Iceland ) Mingus played publicly for the first time with the cast, with the he recorded the album; new to the band came the pianist Bill Triglia and the Detroit trumpeter Clarence Shaw.

Content of the album

Most of the pieces are considered program music, and together form a kind of concept album: There are the impressions of a trip of Mingus with his drummer ( and students) Danny Richmond in the Mexican border city of Tijuana to California again. Mingus was the separation from his wife and manager Celia forgotten ( "a very blue period in my life" ) and plunged into the entertainment district - in his own words in competition with Richmond, for it was all pretty new ( Mingus: " Danny lost - he was very hungry, I was starved "). Richmond: Mingus wanted to be gangsters, musicians, pimps, lover in one person. Mingus summarizes in his liner notes: " Tequila Wine - Woman - Song -and- Dance".

Dizzy Moods based on Dizzy Gillespie's Woody'n You from 1943, and was the liner notes according to outlined by Mingus on the way to Tijuana in happy anticipation of things to come in the car.

Ysabel 's Table Dance portrays a nightclub scene including ( striptease ) dancing girls depicted in the driving rhythm of flamenco with castanets deposits. The piece is based on a paso doble figure two harmonies: Interspersed are free -jazz- like group improvisations, boppende solos and unaccompanied rubato passages. Only in the second half of the piece is presented the actual theme. Mingus makes his bass at times, such as guitars and violins sound ( at the top with string bow ).

The short interlude Tijuana Gift Shop reminded by Mingus at a tapestry, which he acquired in a local souvenir shop.

Los Mariachis describes the street musicians who follow the tourists and play in anticipation of tip the pieces that find their opinion favor - in this case, for example, a calypso number and ( by Mingus a fairly stiff ) Blues. This popular clichés moments of sadness are set in satirical purposes. According to the critic Hans Jürgen Schaal is " still a powerful, disturbing piece of music. "

Flamingo is a swing standard on which Mingus in a restrained pace his great idol Duke Ellington proves his reverence and according to the liner notes the memory of New York (the " wild city" ) in the distance to conjure up. Mingus leaves at the end still on bass flamenco from Ysabel 's Table Dance resonate. Knepper and Shaw are to listen to solos ( Shaw's solo is highlighted explicitly by Mingus in the liner notes ).

In his liner notes in 1962 Mingus proves his fellow musicians his first reference, which he describes as one of the greatest musicians with whom he had ever played. In the first place the trumpeter Clarence Shaw, whom he described as perfect musical " interlocutor " ( conversationalist ) called ( " he knew when to be silent "), but even then (1962 ) was not able to find and only refers to rumors that he would be worked as a hypnotist. Shaw made ​​two recordings with Mingus in 1957, but then disappeared from the scene. He had Richmond only recently learned - though not a few weeks, as he writes, but already a good six months, when he met him at a club in the middle of the show for Willie Jones on drums (actually Richmond was until then tenor saxophonist ) to step in left who supposedly could not follow the pace. With Richmond Mingus found the ideal rhythm sections partner. They understood each other so well later that a brief eye contact on stage for the understanding of the control of the improvisation framework presented. He was also a close friend of Mingus, who - as he confessed satisfied in an interview - " everything held together ."

Mingus was in 1962 clearly proud of the album ("This is the best record I ever made" as a heading in the liner notes, also confirmed by memories of his friend Nat Hentoff ).

Title of the album

(Details to RCA / BMG France 1994 ( BM 720-74321257702 ) with alternate takes, except for Ysabels Table Dance).

All compositions by Charles Mingus, Dizzy Moods except that is also attributed to Dizzy Gillespie, and Flamingo ( E.Anderson, T.Grouya ).

Edition history

The original was not published until 1962 with RCA Victor ( LSP 2533 ). Weber and Filtgen assume that RCA album first appeared as to become; In 1962, the jazz world had then been completely changed and Mingus work was widely recognized. But may also lay before contract disputes.

The original album is (except) partially " brutally cut " ( Ed Michel ) New was launched the album as Mexican Moods 1979 Camden / Pickwick. The Alternate Takes ( uncut, in the well-established length) the album was also released as a New Tijuana Moods ( Blue Bird 5635-1 RB ) to two LP 1986 ( with an Alternate Take 13 minutes for Ysabels Table Dance ), the original pieces were also re-edited. In a 2- CD release on RCA (2001, Bluebird 09206-63840-2 ) next to these pieces is more material contained, including broken " takes"; in addition there is the voice of the writer Lonnie Elder Mingus text "A colloquial dream", the Mingus had record (as Scenes in the City ) of the Afro-American actor Mel Stewart again in the same year 1957 ( A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry, Bethlehem 1957, Branford Marsalis named after his debut album, Scenes in the City 1983). The text reflects on the hardships of life in the big city of New York and the role of jazz as an excuse. The credits for Lonnie Elder in the original are evident by this new release.

Reviews

The jazz critic Martin Williams wrote in the liner notes, Mingus had set out "to transform his jazz in concert music." Werner Stiefele ( Rondo 2000) agrees and stresses that " the complex work also goes far beyond the fusion of jazz and classical experiments that have been undertaken in the Third Stream of the fifties. It is committed to his jazz - being and is therefore a direct precursor of works such as Wynton Marsalis ' post-modern ballet > Citi Movement ' ". For Hans -Jürgen Schaal " a first triumph " is the album of the close cooperation between Mingus and his drummer Danny Richmond and at the same time document of change in the work of Mingus: " The new definition of unruly jazz archaism. And at the same time pre-alarm to free jazz. " Scott Yanow is of the opinion that" this disturbing music belongs in every jazz collection, as it presents one of the finest hours of Charles Mingus ". Ed Michel, who produced the New Tijuana Moods, stresses in the liner notes that this is clearly a " masterpiece".

Worth mentioning

The original cover shows a skirt Pursing mexican girl in front of a jukebox. In the original, the album was released under the name " Charlie Mingus " (instead of " Charles "), a familiarity that Mingus did not appreciate (he himself preferred the salutation Mingus ).

Hadi and Knepper remained six months at Mingus; this was so that the front line of the band leader who ' had longer than any previous jazz workshops Mingus stock. Hadi plays against the credits next to Alt ( in Dizzy Moods ) and tenor saxophone.

In addition to the liner notes of Mingus (1962 ) and Martin Williams, who saw Mingus on the way " from jazz to concert music," there are in the new edition of RCA such by Nat Hentoff.

From the birth time ago (not according to appearance ) album between The clown is (recorded February / March 1957) and a trio recording with Hampton Hawes and Richmond (July 1957) on the one hand and East Coasting ( also in August 1957, with Shaw) and A Modern Jazz Symposium Of Music And Poetry ( October 1957 ) on the other hand, to classify.

Record label RCA Records Genre Bebop Calypso music Martin Williams (writer) Brian Priestley Thad Jones Blossom Dearie Roy Eldridge Fats Waller E major
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