The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

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A work of genius. A masterpiece of 20th century composition. Not an easy listen per se. I appreciate the many on here who gave it a chance.

Enjoyed on repeat.

This is a wonderful album. I didn't expect anything from it, but I ended up with one of the best jazz albums I've ever heard. The harmonies are amazing, and every song is captivating.

Que mundo maravilhoso é o jazz

Incredible album. The music flows beautifully from one section to the next. Just when you think it's calming down, it's starts up again. At no point is this dull or uninteresting or uneventful. There's always something bubbling away or in your face. Astonishing, really.

Loved this!

My name is andermingus Nah this is straight fire. A dark, atonal symphony of raw emotion akin to legends of traditional early 20th-century opera such as Strauss and Mahler. Was entranced front-to-back by this album, which tells a more vivid story without a single word than most records can with a thousand. Fav tracks: Group Dancers

A sublime, towering achievement. Can't even begin to figure out what a genius work of art this is.

This was more than slightly mindblowing. An abstract collage of jazz, flamenco style guitar and sax to knock your sox off (sorry) this album became an instant 5.

DAMN - WHAT A FUCKIN VIBE. This is as good as it gets imo. The layers, the tones, the instruments, the compositions, the storytelling - all exceptional. Definitely one of the greatest Jazz entries of all time.

Completely overwhelming. Feels like the soundtrack to an old cartoon in spots and then bombards you with 4 different horns playing 4 different parts just a moment later. It tricks you into thinking it's straight forward big band music, but it's anything but that. It's all over the place.

thrilling -- each time I've listened to this I've discovered another passage that didn't stand out to me the time before. consistently makes my body move. I love the variety of instruments that at times create massive swells and at others trade off in moments of quiet. also one of the more approachable Mingus records I've heard.

First time listening to this, I think. It just sounds like it’s absolutely falling apart, like a really long controlled demolition with fireworks interspersed. Like what I imagine the house band at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe is playing in Hitchhiker’s Guide. Will definitely be coming back to this.

Jazz masterpiece

Headache jazz. Jazz to induce a headache 5/5 i love mingus

This sounds like the music my dad listened to in his den smoking weed. I do like it.

I love jazz and instantly recognized this artist. 39 minutes went by too quickly.

YESS PEAK

One of the greatest jazz albums of all time! I love the textures, which clearly tell a story. How is Black Saint currently rated at only 3.33 on the project? What?!

39 minutes in a fun house that's burning down, where the mirrors are warping and the speakers are playing parade music that's in a time signature that doesn't exist. Absolutely (and understandably) not for everyone, but it's truly in a league of it's own. Mingus never did anything like this again, because it probably would've scarred him too much to dive back into the madness. Singular and engrossing, from the first horn squawl to the last one.

holy fuck dude! ive listened to this like 5 times already now and im still taking it in. its so soulful and full of emotion, and good lord can these lads play! what a fucking sound! i never heard brass yelp and growl and scream like that before! i gotta listen to more jazz! i don't have words for this. i think when i was shit-talking big band this is why, like, this music is what brass was made for dude.... all those acts that were using it to make formulaic big band, that feels wasteful after hearing what a jazz band can do with the same instruments, and at around the same time too. damn...... mingus was moving different......... incredible album. i fucking love music so much......

The best/most interesting record by one of the giants of Jazz.

ME gusta mucho pero mucho lo jugado que es. Oscuro por momentos pero con mucha expresividad.

Perfekt tightrope mellem kaos og groove. SÅ fed.

One of the coolest records ever made full stop. It is so well composed and performed and weird

This might take the cake for favorite jazz album we’ve heard so far. So fucking cool.

I was amazed by this album: it's genuinely experimental jazz (and it's true it reminds at times of a ballet piece: of course avant-garde ballet, of the Diaghilev-Stravinsky kind...) yet very listenable and even catchy. In addition, the Spanish guitar out of nowhere shouldn't fit in but it does and kicks asses...

La primera canción es una definición del género alternativo que me parece muy potente La segunda canción sentí que me hablaba con ese instrumento de viento La tercera es una composición así como las sinfonías de orquesta La cuarta combina todo lo anterior y da un viaje bastante convulso, pero innovador y personalmente cautivador El mejor álbum de jazz que he escuchado hasta ahora

10/10

Incredible jazz

This one makes me regret some of my earlier 5s. 10/5. Magisterial.

One thing about this list is that it has genuinely helped me get my ear in for jazz in a way I wouldn't otherwise have done. Anyway, I love this. It's accessible, but elusive. There are returning themes that mean I don't get lost so much, and allow me to actually hear and identify all the interesting experimental play going on around. And it does this while being hugely pleasurable to listen to. There are acoustic worlds in here. I'm going to return to this a lot.

Brilliant, loved it

Opening track (and most of the rest of the record) is a noirish big band song that shifts time signatures and styles, but in kind of a familiar way. It's less of a song and more of a gestalt vibe. Track 2 starts with a sumptuous, languorous piano intro, slinky saxes joining in. It eventually evolves into a sinister sounding groove whose tempo waxes and wanes in a menacing way before reverting back to a slow big-band dance number for the finish. The 3rd track goes back and forth between a solo piano performance and a waltz interlude until it inexplicably hits a Latin section before segueing into a freeform improv section. It seems like the overarching theme is something about how music is ephemeral and ever-changing maybe. While this album is challenging, it's challenging in an engaging way, like it's begging you to feel the extraordinary while also enjoying the familiar. The horn work is tight, and the bass and piano is stellar. Cool stuff.

Didn't listen to

Iconic.

One of my favourite records ever, all genres included - and a serious contender for "best album on the list" for me. Mingus was a genius. Although his work with the contrabass doesn't shine as much as the horns here, he was an incredible composer in the most classic sense of the term, brilliantly bringing together the millimetric precision of the orchestra and the exhilarating freedom of avant-garde jazz. This is probably his best work (although Tijuana Moods is also a strong candidate) - written as a ballet / symphony, it's a cinematic rollercoaster of moods and emotions, going from dark and ominous to light and playful, then smooth and sexy, then threatening again, then spiritual and soulful... Tumultuous and cacophonic at times, this organized madness is carried by amazing players, and should absolutely dispel the notion that jazz is "quiet background music". A very easy 10/10.

Mingus, one of the first ones who made bass matter. I never heard this album from him but I am familiar with other of his works. This one sounds like a soundtrack to a dark, slightly unhinged film noir. Sometimes tense and unsettling, sometimes soft or even playful. A rare kind of richness for a jazz record, both in styles and instrumentation. Muted trumpet and flamenco guitars sit next to each other and somehow work. A small gem, I loved it.

Cees zal weer zeggen dat er betere jazz is dan dit. Zijn er dan in ieder geval niet veel, misschien monk

Track A: yeah this shit is pretty fire. The ending segment is straight gas but sadly I’m too stupid in the music realm to understand what’s going on beyond “this shit good” Track B: wow yeah I’m starting to get jazz here Track C: piano banger and I liking it Track D: Bounced on my boy's dick to this song

masterpiece

Didn't see the mariachi/flamenco-jazz combo coming but honestly? It works so well. Moving, sensual, and emotionally complex. The kind of album that makes you feel things you don't quite have words for.

Nasty! In the best way possible. Loved it.

I've listened to a lot of great jazz albums for this project but this one is definitely my favourite. For as much as I love the chill, lowkey sound of a Kind Of Blue or a Time Out, the loud, chaotic nature of this album is really what grabbed me about this, and what set it apart from other jazz projects that I've heard. The playing here is otherworldly too, with constant changes in tempo and time signature which keeps things interesting across the lengthy runtimes of some of these songs. Even though I'm still new to jazz, I had a really great time with this and with more time, I could definitely see myself enjoying this one a lot more than I already do. Fav Songs: All Least Fav: N/A 9.5/10

🥞

king of cool

El uso de la trompeta es bastante enriquecedor en cada pieza, además que dependiendo el ambiente que crea la música, la trompeta ayuda a comentar aún más el color que adquiere la composición. Muy buen álbum.

First time listen and I thought this was absolutely amazing. Each instrument is incredibly expressive, especially the brass, which at times seems to speak in words. Every track is richly developed and a joy to listen to.

Ameeee

Gem of an album. One of the best ever.

This whole album makes me feel like I have a 12 inch cock

Me encantó

I happen to have owned this album for a few years, any excuse to listen to it again is fine by me. This is my 2nd favorite Jazz album (behind A Love Supreme) and probably the best, non-lyrical album, at really painting a picture with the music.

Mindbending

eu sinto até uma certa vergonha pq eu fui criado escutando mingus e só fui conhecer esse álbum pq tocava na rádio de jazz do cyberpunk xD absurdamente bom. pedrada max pro turbo R

Absolutely incredible, I knew earlier hard and post bop Mingus, this was another level

This was an absolute delight to listen to. They were having so much fun playing all this.

Legend fr

muy bueno, me pareció entretenido, distinto, primera vez que escucho algo así como blues y jazz, me lo guardo

Shoked by how many times I said to myself "wait I know this part". A concept executed at the highest level.

Finalemente un 5*, rimane stabile tra i miei album preferiti da sempre

There's very few words that could do justice to this amazing album

its mingus. i had recently listened to ah um mingus and found this one as impressive. theres just so much going on and it lingers on my soul. i think anybody can enjoy this and i just love that kind of music that appeals to people regardless of the time, style or what the world is caught up in

Gosh, I really enjoyed this! A very very cool jazz album, loves driving with it on! Definitely saving

Listens: 3 Standout Tracks: Track B - Duete Solo Dancers The music feels simultaneously harmonious and discordant. The first track feels so chaotic with the in-your-ear trumpet going all over the place, but its still all held together really well by some mysterious force I can't really put my finger on. And the same thing with Track B; it takes some time for the track to build up, but then it goes all haywire until the music almost crashes out with the sputtering trumpet (or maybe its some other brass instrument) around ~4:45... and then the track reboots and finds it ground again before wrapping up. Ok, so what jazz have I heard so far: couple of Miles Davis records, Thelonious Monk, Stan Getz, Herbie Handcock, Bill Evans Trio and a smattering of other artists that show up in the jazz genre when I filter my history; there's a lot of jazz overlapping with other genres like funk and rock and swing. Anyways, I think this was better than pretty much everything else I've listened to, except for maybe Herbie Handcock's Head Hunters, but that also has the whole funk angle going on, so from a pure jazz perspective, I think this is my number 1 record so far, beating out all three of the Miles David records, including what seems to be the undisputed king: Kind of Blue, which I gave a 4. This gets a 5.

A seminal jazz album that is Mingus’ masterpiece. This is not an easy listen, but it is an enjoyable listen if you give it the attention it deserves. I suppose some might find the discordant dissonance distracting, but I dig it. What really makes the album interesting are the shifts held together by repeated refrains. Shifts in mood. Shifts in subgenres. Yet, it is clearly a cohesive piece of work, meant to be listened to in its entirety. Mingus himself did not consider this to be a jazz album, but “ethnic folk dance music”, whatever that means. The composition does incorporate atypical jazz instruments, like the flute and nylon string guitar. However, to my ear and many others, it is clearly an experimental jazz album, far ahead of its 1962 release date. The Saint and the Sinner Lady is just cool. An amazing record that absolutely warrants a place on this list.

In highschool jazz band we played Haitian Fight Song, my first introduction to Charles Mingus. I think he is unironically one of the best to ever do it.

Joyeusement crackpot. 4.5 étoiles

9/10 You know, it's funny: just the other day I got my first entirely jazz album, and I was not even remotely a fan. I've never been a jazz fan to begin with, but that album confirmed my general apathy towards the genre. Then I got this album - a decade earlier than the other, with a lower rating to boot, and I... really enjoyed myself. It's great background music, but I never found myself bored or frustrated by the length of the songs. I will admit that I'm skeptical about giving it 5 stars - I only realized that I wanted to do so in the last few minutes of the final track - but I really can't think of anything wrong with the album, or that could be better. I could see myself putting it on while cleaning or doing chores in the future. I'm happy to finally get another 5-star album!

Incredible album … one of the best jazz albums of all time!

Dark, menacing, confrontational, uncomfortable...and that's just the first track. This is surely about as harsh and punishing as jazz gets while retaining some semblance of musicality. Undoubtedly brilliant, only not giving it the full 5 stars because I'm not sure how much I actually enjoy listening to it, at least on first listen. Although I somehow get the feeling that this is not music made with the listeners comfort or enjoyment in mind... It actually gets much more melodic towards the latter half, with some very interesting composition and instrumentation (e.g. flamenco guitar). I think this will become a firm favourite in my jazz listening rotation, so bumping it up

music is love

Un de mes classiques !

Best jazz album ever

SO GOOD! One of my favorite albums from this project so far.

The true out-there journeys jazz could take you on are in full effect on this release.

Any album that makes me feel like I’m in a spy movie gets 5 stars. I don’t make the rules

top amazing free jazz

Franchement, album incroyable. Vraiment c'est un chaos parfaitement maitrisé et je trouve ça génial. Durant tout le projet, on alterne tellement de phases extrêmement particulières mais si reconnaissables qu'on sait rien qu'à l'écoute qu'elles proviennent de Charles Mingus. Les phases de guitare acoustique sont peut être les plus marquantes à la première écoute mais même par la suite, les solos de basse, les cuivres lourds, les alternances... Franchement j'adore l'ambiance de l'album et son contenu, je le trouve tout bonnement irréprochable et exactement ce que j'attends d'un projet Jazz, qui plus est d'avant garde

Absolutely love this album. First few times I listened, it didn't grip me, but with more listens it became so much more that what I had expected. Every instrument has its place, albeit in unexpected ways. On first listens, it may seem like nothing coalesces, but to me it's more about how the instruments are doing their own thing, coming together occasionally with perfect unity. It's like dancing, where each dancer is doing their own thing, but occasionally they all come together to dance as one. Every listens presents a new thing to focus on.

This album genuinely makes me feel like I’m falling in love with music for the first time again. Every half measure rest leads me into another section of some of the most enchanting sounds I’ve heard in my life. Fuck man. If I was a jazzhead before, then call me a disciple of the horn now because this is the best life can be

211120 15:58 5

Me encanta!

Clásico jazz, mucha bateria, trompeta y saxofón. Le doy un 9 🫰🏼✨

HOLY WHAT AN ALBUM. Playing this album LOUD is a MUST. Is it the best Jazz album of all time????

Wow, for some reason I expected this masterpiece not to be here, I just re-listened ti this just a couple days ago, so this is like a sign haha. No other album in existence like this one really, superb, passionate, progressive jazz big band suite like no other. Strong 5 starts

Baita disco, bastante diversificado!

This is amazing !!!

Whoa. I'm not a big jazz head. I think Mingus Ah Um is great, but I don't really know much Mingus beyond that. THIS blew my mind. Take Porgy and Bess with Gil Evans's big band and then imagine that 1970 Miles Davis arrived from the future and said "I'm the captain now, m'fer!" I'd watch this ballet, I want to see someone make this movie. Just for the incredible sounds made by the TUBA alone! this is worth 5/5.

heard way too many times

Never heard of it. Wiki says “single continuous composition—partially written as a ballet—divided into four tracks and six movements.” I’m excited to listen. It did not disappoint. I want a lounge with a martini to listen to this album. 0 songs added to playlist as it should be listed to all together.

Wow. This was super interesting and I got very into it. Usually I dont get a lot from jazz but this was definitely an exception.

Favourite Songs: Track A - Solo Dancer Track B - Duet Solo Dancers Medley: Mode D - Trio and Group Dancers/Mode E - Single solos and Group Dance/Mode F - Group and Solo Dance

Great album! Opened me up to a whole new world!

really good album

my favourite album of all time. I love you mr mingus. highest 5 star of all 5 stars

I feel like this might be in my top ten of all time. A desert island album that always gives up something new on a listen. This album sounds like a night out in New Orleans and you take the band with you as you go. Stopping at a friends apartment, a funeral, the bars, and then back home as the sun comes up. Few albums bring me this much joy.

Easy 5

Ellingtonian elegance and orchestrational ingenuity intersects with the worlds of classical music and the avant-garde to create the music of Charles Mingus, one of the most respected (and feared) bassists, composers and arrangers in jazz history. The Black Saint... is his finest work in all of these areas, a ballet composed in six movements and arranged for an 11-piece big band by Bob Hammer. along with A Love Supreme, this was one of the first jazz albums I listened to as a kid, and it's another that I was kind of blindsided by at first, but which has made more and more sense to me over the years. my first major connection to this album came from the absolutely show-stopping performance from its lead alto saxophonist, Charlie Mariano. his tone is devastatingly gorgeous, and Mingus wrote him a bunch of brilliant melodies to show it off with. he's the ballet's closest link to its sultry, tender side; the brass section, especially trombonist Quentin Jackson, tend to take things to a pretty raucous extreme, especially on the multiple slow accelerandi that occur in several of the movements presented. Mingus does a lot of traffic direction from behind the bass, and he also makes multiple appearances as a pianist through the (then-pretty-new) magic of studio overdubbing, a technology which several players utilize across the runtime here, particularly flamenco guitarist Jay Berliner. the music frequently leans into chaotic group improvisations, lengthy solo cadenzas and other unexpected twists and turns, but that gorgeous sense of melodicism is always underpinning the proceedings. as far as large-ensemble jazz recorded in-studio, very few albums are this meticulous or ecstatic. 10/10.

I didn't think I was a jazz person, but I loved this. The pacing is amazing and it really feels like it's telling a story. Track A and Track B were my favorite.

Solo Dancer - 4.5/5 Duete Solo Dancers - 5/5 Group Dancers - 4.5/5 Trio and Group Dancers/Single Solos and Group Dance/Group and Solo Dance - 5/5 Man that was some good jazz. Felt like things were hopping all over the place but somehow it also felt like everything was right where it was supposed to be. And that got me hooked. Well the flamenco guitar hooked me in but still. Overall: 5/5 Favorites: Duete Solo Dancers, Trio and Group Dancers/Single Solos and Group Dance/Group and Solo Dance

Første plata på lista til nå jeg ikke har hørt før. Alt jeg hører er some damn good jazz, for å sitere Mark Gonzales. Hørte den to ganger på rappen.

Love

One of my favorite jazz albums. The brass and saxes are fantastic and it is not too drawn out and long.

Damn, this album was an experience! I absolutely loved that! I love avant-garde and experimental jazz, but I’ve got embarrassingly little knowledge of the genre as a whole. There are a lot of blind spots in my jazz listening history, so I really appreciate that this project is slowly filling them in.

I lowkey love some slow and sensual jazz. I wanna go to a dark jazz club and have a few cocktails in my little black dress omg. It would heal me frfr

Brilliant. Definitely worth a listen. Moody . When will.jazz come back? There's a lot of much worse stuff hiding this; even on this list

Love it !

Peak

Album #48 Charles Mingus: The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Seeing how I have been on the site RateYourMusic before, I am aware of Charles Mingus, and particularly this album of his, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. This is because I have browsed the all-time best album chart, and this album happened to catch my eye; it is a bit juvenile but me and my friends thought the name Mingus was funny and since we don’t listen to jazz, Mingus became sort of a joke amongst us, a reference point for pretentious music that we would never listen to no matter how many dorks on RateYourMusic said it was good. Jazz is a genre in which I frankly never had any desire to explore, even though I consider myself somewhat intelligent, and I do often like art which some consider pretentious; at the end of the day, when it comes to music, I am pretty basic. My favourite albums are those that are built upon catchy melodies, relatable lyrics, and pleasant instrumentals. If an album doesn’t have at least one song that I can belt along to word-for-word, then I’m not really interested. Jazz is sort of the polar opposite of that ethos; it is intentionally complicated and inaccessible, with no clear melodies or memorable lyrics. It is sort of a cliche that Jazz is extremely technical and impressive music, played for a small audience, while rock music is technically simple yet played for a massive audience, of which I find myself amongst. But despite my reservations towards jazz, I knew that I had to give this album a fair shake, if not simply due to its universal acclaim, then for its reputation amongst my friends. My first listen was about what I expected; it was good for a jazz album, insofar as I enjoyed it about as much as I figured I could enjoy jazz, probably around the 7/10 range. However, it was on my second listen that I started to actually realize a few things about this album, jazz, and myself. This won’t be an extremely technical review, since the things that I enjoyed about the music and wish I were able to express with words are simply alien to me; I can’t even properly identify what instruments were playing in certain passages. But what I can hopefully convey are the emotions that I felt. The biggest revelation that I had during my second listen is that jazz (or whatever you would call this) should not be considered the same art form as simple rock or pop music. My biggest disservice to the genre was holding it to the standards that I would expect from those genres, but thinking about it now, it is lunacy to try to compare this and something like What’s The Story by Oasis. Jazz, much like rock/pop, is an art form which focuses on auditory perception to invoke emotion, and that is where the similarities end. I previously assumed I wouldn’t like jazz due to its lack of the song structure that I was used to, specifically, lyrics. But what I noticed about The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady was that, though there were no words being spoken, there was still communication. Each instrument was speaking to the other as if they were engaging in open discourse at a symposium; a story was being told not through explicit words, but through a form of communication that ignores your brain and speaks directly to your soul. The words will be different for each listener, as they are vague yet powerful, conjuring up the most buried memory and fleeting feeling that you have ever experienced. At times, the music is chaotic, which is why the album can have some sort of barrier upon entry. It is hard for someone like me with no technical understanding to differentiate the noises and try to make sense of what I’m hearing. But once you are able to stop asking for the answers, and instead start listening to them, you find the beauty amongst the chaos. The actual music feels so familiar to me, yet at the same time sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard. Most of my experience with jazz has come through its usage in cinema, which is why the album has such a cinematic and picturesque feel to me. There are parts of the album that almost sound like an old western movie, then a few moments later, it sounds like the climax to a thriller. The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady is a reminder of who you are, an experience which explores your soul and lays it bare. I still think that after hearing this, I’ll be able to enjoy simple music, but at the same time, I wonder if, as a society, we have regressed in our art. I have always enjoyed classical music for its ability to express emotion so colourfully, so I’m unsure why I wrote off jazz, as it sort of feels like the spiritual successor. I had a moment of realization mid-way through the final track, that my shitty 20-dollar Amazon wireless earbuds were capable of creating noises so impactful; such a small and insignificant object has the potential convey such technical and emotive sound. This whole blurb of text definitely comes across as some guy who tried psychedelics for the first time and thinks he is the only one who has undergone ego-death, but I’m just excited that I’ve actually had such a unique experience with music that I wasn’t expecting. Part of me wonders if I’m waxing lyrical a bit too much; maybe it wasn’t actually that good, maybe I just like the idea of what I’m describing more than what I actually felt. But regardless, it certainly won’t be the last time that I listen to this album, and this certainly won’t be where I end my newly discovered interest in jazz. The only part of this album which I would say wasn’t perfect was the first track, which has sort of an abrasive string sound that kept repeating, and ending on a pretty chaotic note; but it’s hard to dock it points for that since it was clearly intentional in setting up the subsequent tracks. I almost don’t want to give this album a 10 since it is incredibly tacky for the one jazz album that I listened to, which just so happens to be the most well-regarded jazz album of all time, to have supposedly blown my mind in such a way. But from what I gather, this album is actually one of the harder Mingus albums to get into, so the fact that it clicked for me this early proves to me that I actually might like jazz a whole lot more than I thought I did. So if I end up becoming a jazz aficionado like I suspect I might, I will always look back to my first experience with the genre, and so I will undoubtedly have to give this album it’s flowers (or I’ll never listen to another jazz album again, change this rating to a 7, and think “man what was I on that night”). Also, the title is one of my favourite album titles, even before I ever thought I would enjoy it, and Mingus has a lot of aura on the cover. Best Songs: Trio and Group Dancers, Group Dancers, Duet Solo Dancers Worst Song: None Score out of 10: 10

Peak Jazz.

Mingus at his shamanistic best. Somehow ramshackle and meticulously orchestrated.

Well smack my black ass and call me Parker , this one is a masterpiece

Day 6. My favorite jazz musician of all time. Doesn't get better than this. I've spun this record so many times and it hits every single time. Fantastic, experimental, and just wonderful listening. Fantastic album.

This is incredible. Like if Mozart made jazz.

crazy good. charles mingus was a discovery to me

What a blast! I'd never heard it and at times it's close to as far as I can go with jazz. But it's so thrilling, even in those more avant garde bits. The way Track B - Duet Solo Dancers starts of slow and intimate, then builds up into a frantic rhythm, then seems to fall apart before picking up again into the ending in which you can almost visualise the duo of dancers, is worth the price of the album. But that also goes for the piano and somehow oriental-sounding flourishes in the 'Group Dance' track that follows, and for many more moments here. I don't want to overdo it on the five star ratings, but with the selection of outstanding albums we're getting and my broad tastes, maybe it's unavoidable. Five it is. Going on my wish list, this one!

Incredible Not a wasted moment 9.5/10

Divine! Five stars! (Did anyone else hear Cruella De Vil in there?)

groundbreaking, ambitious six-part suite blending avant-garde complexity with blues, flamenco, Duke Ellington, and gospel. Innovative use of the big band, inventive studio techniques (like overdubbing), and deep emotional depth, solidified by Mingus's own psychiatrist's liner notes, solidifying its status as a landmark in jazz history.

mingus WINgus

Fucking fire. I fricking loved this. Stand-outs: - (honestly all 4 of them)

what a surprise! i loved this album and, even thought, i've never had heard about him before, now i'm a huge fan of his artistry.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Transcendent. One of my favorites from Mingus

AMAZING I loved it so much I couldn’t stop listening truly one of the best things I’ve heard

Already listened. Insanely good. Very strong 9/10, probably my second favourite jazz album of all time.

No words. Bass pulsing through the bones. Horns shaking the floor. Drama and flowers. Something sweaty creeping in. It might be love in the end.

Amazing. Could listen to over and over indefinitely. Love the Spanish guitar

Among the greatest jazz albums.

Doesn't get much better than this.

The first listen-through felt surprising: is this really from the 60s? And what is that relentlessly grinding bass sound? I'm reading it's possibly a contrabass trombone. LOVE it! Then... flamenco guitar, flutes? So strange, so wonderfully experimental. Then, during another listen to 'Track B,' two-and-a-half minutes in, I'm unexpectedly swept up into that build-up. I'm suddenly getting Rachmaninov, circus elephants, a sultry night out in the city, a crazed chase in circles, a closing in, still more fury, frenzy, before being gently guided back down from those heights. Knocked the socks off!

Wow. I began the album thinking I was listening to jazzy farts to appreciating the guitar work and how beautiful the storytelling was just through instrumentals. As someone who just listened to the Nutcracker on repeat over the holidays, I can see how this was intended to be a ballet, and an emotional rollercoaster of one. Looking up the album, there were subtitles for the tracks with an indication of that story, but the album works so well universally as a redemption arc that begins simple/sleazy/dark/angry to something complex: "Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!" "Hearts' Beat and Shades in Physical Embraces" "(Soul Fusion) Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries" "Stop! Look! And Sing Songs of Revolutions!" "Saint and Sinner Join in Merriment on Battle Front" "Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt, then Farewell, My Beloved, 'til It's Freedom Day"

Similar to the Miles Davis album, this isn't usually in my highest tier of jazz albums. But there is an excellent plungered trumpet making appearances and the pace is right, so I am comfortable calling this a 5

At first I was ready to write this off as generic jazz and relegate it to the same place I relegate most other jazz albums on this project (recognize its good but ultimately background music that is not for me and give it 4-stars). But then the Spanish guitar appeared in track four. And as if to demonstrate that it wasn't a fluke, it reappeared later on. And that caught my attention in a way that other jazz albums didn't and made me appreciate what the genre is capable of. Or I just need a guitar to appear at least once in any album for me to think it's worth five stars.

Crazy, progressive, groovy, avant garde

Masterpiece, completely unsure as to how I haven’t listened to it by now. Definitely an album and an artist I will be coming back to.

yessir!!!! This list needs more influential musicians like this.

Absolute jazz classic that transcends genre, what more is there to say

I zoned out while listening to this and became productive.

Mingus don’t fuck around!

Mingus.

The way the band shifts the mood and tells the story is just sooooooooo incredible

My favourite album from my favourite jazz conductor. The journey you’re taken on by Mingus through the three movements of this album are unlike any other jazz album I’ve heard. They’re cinematic, they’re dramatic, they’re a showcase for everything brilliant that Mingus ever achieved. Just unmatched in the genre and one of my favourite ever albums.

liked it

Incredible song cycle that switches between various genres, not just jazz, but Andalusian guitar, in a way that allows each individual work to shine and not just be buried in the longer pieces

Top 5 album of all time!

This is perhaps Mingus' best, and certainly a jazz masterpiece. This is a full course meal of sound, an organized storm of passion and rage. It fully takes the big band tradition of Ellington and flips it on its head. If you can, read the liner notes to really understand what Mingus is doing and what his message is here, written in his own idiosyncratic voice and humor. It's not really a casual listen, and it won't be to everyone's taste. It feels more like a classical orchestral suite than a standard album as a collection of songs. Many horns are loud and cacophonous, sort of a Sun Ra flavor but perhaps more grounded-- if Sun Ra is sailing through space, Mingus is on the dark sultry streets of New Orleans or Madrid and tapping into the temper and heat. And so it's not necessarily to make your ears comfortable, but to make them pay attention and to make you feel and experience something. I'm being overly pretentious, but it really is stunning how he accomplishes this.

It’s like noise jazz I love it

Very experimental

Lovely, great atmosphere and melodies.

Love the instrumental. Great orchestra/jazz

Ахуеть, кажется подвезли шедевр джаза

insane! was assuming it’d be more transient free jazz, but this is almost orchestral, with just a bit more intentional cacophony. the latin sounding guitar solos were a delightful surprise. didn’t realize how much i didn’t know about this artist, but had assumed it based on a few songs.

This was amazing. I’m just kind of blown away by this after the first listen. I don’t really know what else to write here, other than that I really, really, really liked this. This was certainly one hell of an introduction to Charles Mingus, and to a degree, jazz in general. 5/5

Mingus isn’t always my favorite jazzman, but this is stunning. Not only is it fun to listen to, but imagining the band working on and refining it is inspiring.

Audible excitement from me when I saw this had been generated for me. Quite possibly my favourite jazz album ever. I gave it this most recent listen on a bus journey through Thailand and despite the cramped and uncomfortable seats my mind could not be anywhere apart from with the music. Wonderfully orchestrated and beautifully performed every musician on this record bounces off each other perfectly. The tracks flow seamlessly into one another whilst sounding completely distinct and the number of disparate influences that come together here have no right to feel as cohesive as they do. A total work of genius from one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time.

Love this album. I was already familiar with it. 9/10

[mid 2020s cultural critic voice] the repetitive anxiety-inducing refrain in the fourth track of the baritone sax panned hard left with the broad overarching rumbling overture panned hard right is sonically the most accurate depiction of a panic attack ever put to record now i don't have much historical context for jazz or for this album itself but it's fascinating to me. on repeat listens the frantic and manic mood engendered by the album softened by familiarity into a warm sense of clarity that let me appreciate different performers, different instruments, different moments, etc. it was overwhelming at first in a way that felt cacophonic but there's an internal structure that is quite enigmatic. really enjoyed this. a great first album.

About half way through listening to this I realized that this was from 1963. 1963! I mean there's ahead of its time and then there's THIS. There's something so theatrical about this, its like a sung through musical with no need for singing. The way the music moves through sections works so well- just as it feels like a piece is becoming too at home, the music switches up completely. I can't say I'm all that knowledgeable on theory of this kind of music so I don't have too much to say but I both extremely enjoyed and felt suprisingly anxious listening to this. The classical guitar and Spanish influence really shakes up the big band sound in a way that was very complementary. I really love the way themes and leitmotifs are repeated throughout, it gives both a level of stabilization ( going back to something that's already been established) but also suprise (seeing something we've heard before in a new context) that never got old for me

Wasn’t really looking forward to wading through more jazz but this was a big surprise. Some elements sounded a bit like Gershwin to me and there was so much going on with some dissonance which I enjoyed and tempo changes and weird stuff. Still sounded melodic though. Overall great album!

Despite my jazz background, I am not a fan of the 20 min instrumentals, what are you trying to prove? This though?? I definitely feel that that attitude shifting. The whole thing was so good, dripping with noire. The inclusion of prominent guitar (flamenco style??) was unexpected, especially for jazz.

Oh really. Like I don't already know this album is a masterpiece

One of the best jazz records I've ever heard. When your brain is ready to take it in, it hits with an intensity very few pieces of music can match.

Like elephants dancing in a chinastore

Absolutely amazing. Great bluesy jazz.

Was told that this is one of the top 5 most recommended jazz albums, and I can see why.

ДЖАЗЫ ОХУЕНА

This is absolutely required listening for any music fan. This was an awesome snapshot in time of what was a thriving Jazz scene, and it absolutely still holds up today. Whilst not the biggest jazz fan, this is undeniable.

A few albums have come across that I had never heard before that simply blow me away. This is one. One of the Mingus was one of coolest cats that had considerable influence on the evolution of jazz.

This album is basically a jazz opera composed by a genius having a beautifully controlled meltdown. It’s chaotic, orchestral, sensual, and psychologically unhinged in the most sophisticated possible way. Mingus didn’t just write music — he staged an emotional riot and handed you a front-row seat. Listening feels like wandering through a dream where every room has a different band arguing with itself. It’s gorgeous. It’s overwhelming. It’s the sound of a mind too big for its skull. Rating: 5/5** Short Review: Avant-jazz as therapy, prophecy, and ritual. The horns cry, the rhythms threaten violence, and somehow it all makes sense. Favorite Track: “Track C – Group Dancers” — it’s like being chased by elegance.

I diasappoint my college jazz teacher once again with another tangential, unstudied review. The Solo Dancer, the Sinner Lady I presume, confidently struts onto the mental stage. They come in hot, showing off their moves with the backing of the band. Then they get intimate, opening the kimono. Lots of playful trills and high-heeled marches up and down the scales. Piano notes build a new stage, and you can hearsee the Duete Solo Dancers, Black Saint and Sinner Lady, swagger in, circling, joining slowly together. They're languid and slippery. That deep horn is a real hoe. They slide and dip and thrust. Yeah, they're banging. This is graphic. About two thirds in, they spooge. The first horn smokes a cigarette. Then they tease it back up for round two. The gentle piano returns as the stage is mopped and reset. A Spanish guitar gives the place a sultry ambiance. The horns return and now there's three or four, and they all sort of writhe and hump, but they keep it dry. My specific and circumscribed formative exposure to instrumental classical and jazz compels my imagination to recast the instruments with Loony Tunes characters. But there they go in Mode D, Bugs and Daffy locked in a saucy Spanish bailar for some reason. Then here comes Taz and Porky, and everyone's twirling and changing partners like frenzied marsupials, and Elmer Fudd's trying to get a bead on Bugs but they're moving too fast, and Porky's in drag and Taz is actually trying to catch Tweety, but Tweety's riding the rhythm and the rhythm is too pure to be grasped by vulgar paws, and Bugs pulls Elmer into a tango and his rifle falls like the Berlin wall, and it goes off into the ceiling, raining sparks from the lights as they cavort in an orgiastic crescendo of fur and feathers, and then the debris settles and Bugs and Daffy turn back into the Sinner Lady and the Black Saint turn back into two and then one wailing horn fading into a shrinking iris. That's all folks.

I'm new to jazz; it's been three years since I've been exploring this genre, and so far, I've stumbled upon many amazing musicians and albums. This is one of those. Easy 5 stars, brb exploring another music from Charles Mingus.

Mingus is a genius. Not always my first choice to listen to of his contemporaries, admittedly, as there is something that can sound a bit harsh about a lot of his music, but this album is a masterpiece and I think shows off his composition, arranging, and thematic skills at their peak. I of course love the prominence of the bari sax in Mingus’s band too..,my favorite on this is “Track C - Group Dancers”

incredible energy! demands attention and requires close listening. not really hangout joint, but if you have the time and the brainspace, get in there!

Huge album. Amazing piece of art composed and played superbly.

Musikalisch ein bedeutender Meilenstein in der Musikgeschichte des Jazz. Wirklich großartig!

My all-time favorite jazz album.

The definition of Mad Genius. There's so much going on in this album's four sprawling tracks. Between the despondant brass, tripped out rhythm section, and flamenco guitars, it may appear chaotic at first but upon closer inpection it all comes together in a beautiful way. I'm not really sure what the context of this album is, despite having listened to it many, many times. From the titles it looks like music composed for a dance piece, but I'm not sure if such piece actually existed. The liner notes, written by Mingus' therapist, provide some extra insight on the record, and reveal Mingus as one of the most fascinating and genius artists of the late Jazz Era, as if the music didn't make that clear enough. Must listen album, and absolutely do explore more of Mingus' work. It is well worth your time. Key tracks: Track A - Solo Dancer Track C - Group Dancers

Excellent! 👌

Honestly, this album is totally insane. There’s places where I have no idea what I’m listening to, in the best possible way. The sonic palette of this album is so rich. That complexity makes it feel very contemporary. Mingus is such a good composer. At points, recurring motifs make everything sound very much like classical music. At the same time, the improvisation that occurs within that structure is very very good. All the players are super talented and nail basically everything. This is definitely an album that requires a lot of focus to really enjoy. It’s pretty dissonant at times, but all of that makes sense when listening intentionally all the way through. Kind of a weird album to pick standout tracks for, but Track C - Group Dancers was my favorite. 5/5 deserves to be on this list

Need this record

This is what should be played to people who say they dislike jazz. If they still say they dislike jazz after hearing this, they're a hopeless case.

Un sonido sucio y exquisito. Un GRAN álbum.

Ебашу по пятёрке как Агутин

good stuff, surprising highs and lows

MINGUS!

Great

Masterpiece, but not his best; genuinely can’t understand why Mingus Ah Um is not on this list

I know very little about jazz, so almost every jazz album that's come up so far (sadly, not that many) has been a first time listen for me. Well, I'm either easily impressed or just like jazz and need to listen to it a lot more, because this ruled. It's so unbelievably full of passion and emotion. I need someone to take me out dancing. I should really not be listening to this while sitting at a desk.

One of the greatest pieces of music I've ever listened to

One of the all-time greats. Never skip.

hmm, jazz

This **** is magnificent :')

Dig for diamond found peak

I'm no Jazz-head but I sure as hell know this album is a classic. I probably don't understand it on a "deep" level but the payoffs are so good that they repurpose all the build up. Usually when I've done listening to it I just want to put it on again.

Incredible jazz album that feels like a story progressing through it

Jazz isn't my bag but this is brilliant. 5*.

The words to describe this record are leaving me by the second. The fingertips that write those words on the keyboard want to give out. My soul may have been relocated at various points. This is the result of what this record does to me. There's good art, great art and then something as flattering, as bold and as original as The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady. The multiple themes coming in and out, the speed picking up and down, the absolute reward of a full listen. With this record, Charles Mingus cements himself as one of the most vibrant and brash jazz composers of all time. My heart is in my head, my mind's in the freezer and my soul is with the cleaners. Praise the soul (10/10, 5/5 on this scale)

Bbys first jazz album, men et mesterverk likeså.

Endelig får jeg satt meg ned og skrevet om dette albumet. Det er vel det første ordentlige jazz albumet vi fikk på lista, da passer det godt at det også er det beste jazz albumet som eksisterer. Dette albumet har fulgt meg over mange år, og det blir bare bedre og bedre hver gang man hører det. Det er kult kaotisk, rått, fint og totalt unikt. Hvordan han får det til, ander jeg ikke.

great

Instant save. Energetic, complex, eventually. The gipsy guitar brought it to 5

Perfect album

Simply beautiful.. no criticism.

he was the king of the tuck-tuck sound!

What a wild ride!! Really loved this album, the eccentric sound and wild passages leading right into beautiful sections of sonic excellence

Makes me feel like I’m a detective solving crimes and smoking cigarettes. Suddenly I am clocked around the head with a hammer and in the ensuing wooziness I stumbled downstairs and into the street. It’s raining, the feeling of my wet woollen suit on my skin disgusts me. I peel the suit off and lay in the gutter unaware of what has just happened.

a pleasure

This one's took me on a fantastic little trip. Works to either sit, listen and get lost in the music or to have on when doing something to help keep me going. I'd love to sit and listen to this on vinyl through a state of the art early '60s hi-fi, as God intended. Ah what the hell, first one (I'm only 20 in) I listened to twice in one day.

Loved this. I often struggle with jazz because I feel like I can't grasp the thread, but this was accessible the whole way through.

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is my favorite jazz album and one of my favorite albums of all time. Charles Mingus was the first jazz artist that fully clicked for me. I had listened to some jazz before him and enjoyed it, but his music was the first that I felt like I connected to and really fell in love with. This album is so unique and perfect. It returns to the same motifs and themes and sucks you down deeper into it. It feels almost hypnotic. It’s a full experience in a way that the best albums are

Beautiful

Simply one of the greatest works of jazz of all time. Mingus’ twisted melodies presented a challenging tone shift to the genre at the time, and paved the way for a darker variant of jazz that ventured into a more complicated emotional approach that listeners weren’t accustomed to at the time. Legend.

It’s not MINGUS MINGUS MINGUS MINGUS MINGUS, but it IS jazz and that means today is a good day. Sayonara Britpop. See you in hell, New Wave. You know, because I’m now a worldly musical aficionado, I know that Charles Mingus is a bassist and I now realize that he’s not playing a horn on the front cover, but rather lighting a sick ass pipe. And that hat? This is one of the hardest album covers we’ve had come up. Secret to appealing album covers: pipes and hats. Throw in a quote from a poem, and we’re open for business. Big time. Solo Dancer (Stop! Look! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!) - Yes. That is the song title. I don’t make the rules. If I did, I’d make it a rule that we listen to jazz every day. Mandatory Hard Bop hour. This is so layered and cool. The repetitive, lurching horns create this atmosphere of beautiful chaos LISTEN TO THAT BASS. This is great. Duet Solo Dancers (Hearts’ Beat and Shades in Physical Embraces) - Oh man. This is when technical knowledge might help me a lot. All I can say is “the part where it slows down and it sounds like the horns are talking in muffled human voices is gud.” I truly have a way with words. Yeah, uhh a get out of the way! Alright. Group Dancers (Soul Fusion) (Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom’s Slave Cries) - What the hell. Man are we getting flamenco passages followed by flute solos? Insane. Truly wonderful. Trio and Group Dancers (Stop! Look! And Sing of Revolutions!) / Single Solis and Group Dance (Saint and Sinner Join in Merriment on Battle Front) / Group and Solo Dance (Of Love, Pain and Passioned Revolt, Then farewell, My Beloved, ‘Til It’s Freedom Day) - Are there enough words in that title? Did I close all the parentheses? Who cares. This album is too good to even sit here and make dumb jokes that don’t translate well to the written word. That’s usually my MO. Another classic track that fits seamlessly as part of this incredible record. Due to my early perusals on RYM, I’ve been aware of this album for years. I believe I tried to listen to it once in my younger days, but it was a little too far out at that point. This album is much like coffee. Energizing, soothing, vibrant, and certainly an acquired taste. I have acquired that taste. From the driving basslines to the fantastically interesting song titles, to the instrumental tricks, this is some of the best jazz has to offer. Hook this to my veins and don’t stop til I say when. I want the full jazz experience. Intravenous drug use included. 5 HIGHLIGHTS: Don’t ask me. Come on man, don’t ask me.

Wow, that was good! I think it'll become one of my favourites album in jazz. Very interesting.

Always my favourite jazz musician, and this is by all means his Magnus Opus, the one where everything he was capable of just comes together perfectly. It's got that same kind of epic, complex beauty as Beethoven's symphonies, except it's pure jazz through and through. The first thing that hits you is how ambitious this thing is. Mingus wrote it as one long piece - basically a ballet that runs through four parts like movements in a symphony. He takes you from these incredibly tender, almost heartbreaking moments to these wild, chaotic improvisations where everyone's going mental together. It's like he's showing off everything jazz can do in one album. And then, the emotions in this music. One minute you're feeling this deep sadness that Mingus is pouring out, the next minute the whole band explodes into this joyful madness that makes you want to move. It's intensely personal - you can hear Mingus working through his own demons - but somehow it speaks to everyone. This is an essential album not just for jazz enthusiasts, but for anyone interested in 20th-century artistic achievement. It stands as proof that jazz, at its highest level, can match any art form for emotional depth, and pure creative brilliance.

Don’t know much about jazz but I do know this album stuck with me. Came back to a lot during this journey.

MINGUS!!!! Love Charles Mingus and this is some great jazz.

Absolutely superb

Beautiful and dense. Not for everyone

This was a weird and beautiful musical journey. I see where the Bojack theme was influenced. I've never heard of Charles Mingus before today.

Wow... This is one of the best albums I've heard. Not jazz albums, but in all of music. It's hard to describe it, but this is the closest I've heard to organized chaos, but inside the chaos is pure harmony. You can hear that masters of their instruments had so much fun recording this. This was my first taste of Charles Mingus and I can't wait to hear more... or I'll probably listen to this again many times. An incredible record. 5/5

good music

Goin 5. Feel like I can see the influence of Mingus everywhere I look now.

dark and stormy, very interesting jazz! I like it.

this album smells like valve oil. no I won't elaborate the textures on this album are fucking crazy, I haven't heard anything like it on a jazz album, or on any album for that matter. Mind blowing from the first note to the end. sad that people on here can't appreciate this cause this might be jazz perfection (I'm not super proficient in the genre so don't take my word on that). SNOO-MINGUS AS USUAL I SEE

What unfolds in the six chapters of The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is perhaps the grandest revelation in jazz music. It is here where Mingus orchestrates an executive rendition of the oppressed soul, through antithesising supreme crescendos of wailing saxophone and “ethnic folk-dance”, to Rodrigo-esque guitar work that makes the vast high-tempo payoff unlike anything else. On a crisp January day in 1963, Charlie Mingus and his eight-piece company recorded the benchmark of music to come. For what might be ‘baby’s first’ Mingus, it’s difficult to see how this forty-minute transfixing musical escapade could possibly be any better. It might just be immaculate.

An incredible piece of music mixing styles and sounds. Powerful and original, comprising superb musicianship.

*fat* notes. it sounds like someone's talking. pretty cool!

Great album. First time listening to it, but I love the Mingus big band albums. So creative and raw. The arrangements are so interesting and varied. A lot of ideas going on at any given time... some built upon and some just passing thoughts.

Turn it up! What a cracker. My cat hated it, he's not known for having the best music taste. Jazz for any time of the day. I will be back. Takes you away, beyond understanding and demands you let go of the steering wheel

Top 3 Jazz albums of all time for me, sounds like psychedelic big band jazz from hell. Feels like you're in a nightmare sequence in a 1940s Disney movie.

Street lamps. Rain. Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Lust. Hate. Virtuosity. Cacophony. Beauty. Mental breakdown, vintage style.

Beautiful album, every instrument individually sounds random but they come together so well

This album is just the epitome of groovy 60's jazz. It makes you feel cooler just listening to it.

First thought: if you've ever wondered why people used to consider jazz to be lascivious and immoral music, well, this is why. The subtitle for the second track is "Hearts' Beat and Shades in Physical Embraces," which is a lot of words for a downright horny track that everyone will understand wordlessly. Second thought: and then the pathos sets in, with weighty tunes to explain why all the hedonism was necessary in the first place. Third thought: it all ends with a synthesis, the sex and heaviness and joy all stirred together in a bouillabaisse that feeds and delights. Fourth thought: freedom is freedom is freedom is freedom.

Charles Mingus was known as the “Angry Man of Jazz”, yet he created music with incredible depth of beauty. This album is widely regarded as one of the best jazz compositions ever created, and it took two listens for me to wrap my head around it. I am sure I’ve heard it before, my dad’s side of the family are jazz fanatics and my uncle even plays jazz bass. I did not follow in those footsteps. I turned out a punk, but I still love jazz even though I do not fully understand it. Do we need to fully understand something, or someone, in order to love them? I don’t understand why the transition from “Mode E – Single Solos and Group Dance” to “Mode F – Group and Solo Dance” works, but it does. Mingus was a proponent of collective improvisation and that really shines through on this record. He referred to it as “ethnic folk-dance music” and it really does feel like an improvised piece with dancers from different cultures around the world performing interpretive dance to the music.

Dude... This is one of the coolest albums I've ever listened to. This, of course, is Charles Mingus's legendary 1963 album, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. This is one of the most acclaimed jazz albums ever released, and with me loving similarly beloved albums like Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and John Coltrane's A Love Supreme, I had quite the expectation for a good album, and oh boy did I get that. This is so crazy and awesome and I love it. The compositions here are so full of emotion and talent that I am left speechless by just about every moment. From the speedups and slowdowns on track B to the beautiful guitar part on track C, this album really does represent the best that this wonderful genre has to offer. Despite the energy and chaos of the album, you can still get a sense of emotion and a bit of a story if you think hard enough. There's a sense of beauty in the chaos, and I really love that. I don't know what to say. Would I call this my favorite jazz album ever? Not confidently. It does have the aforementioned competition from Coltrane and Davis. It's up there though. This is a stunning achievement that should absolutely be listened to by everyone, even if you don't click with it initially. I clicked with it though, and I adore this album. 5/5.

Less music, more liquid soul, to be poured out in rations as a cathartic tea else collected into a basin to submerge the psyche. Crestfallen when I realized it was only 4 tracks long.

This is so good. It’s experimental, brooding, emotional. Easy 5.

Très bon, très très bon.

First 5-star. I should listen to more jazz.

JAZZ. This is pure undiluted jazz.

Made me feel like I was in a movie

Sophisticated and reiterative.

It was an interesting album very different from what I am used to but it grew on me

I’ve been Mingus’d

ok i like this game again

This Mingus album is a lingus test for good music. Er, sorry, litmus test. It created a sort of mingua franca for all future jazz releases. Er, sorry, lingua franca. Please don't forget it's mingUS not mingYOU or mingME Fav song: Group Dancers prolly which has that riff that is good enough for an entire album of its own (also repeated in track 4)

smooth jazz

Genial

Un álbum perfecto. Es tan bueno que me he dado cuenta que el disco solito te va enseñando a cómo escucharlo y sobre todo cómo apreciar el género. Cómo ir notando cada instrumento que forma parte de un todo absolutamente genial. Increíble.

Well…. Just amazing. Imagine how this would sound live!

Absolutely brilliant, a jazz essence that very much travels around a lot of genre of style. Gorgeous strumming and beautiful horn play, I am hooked.

Multilayered masterpiece that stands as one of my favorite jazz albums due to its experimental and complex nature

felt like i was being spoken into my soul, like i was watching someone’s inner and most deep thoughts in front of me, not all of them were bad, most of em were beautiful like nothing else. it was a beautiful listen.

Best album of all time, opened my eyes

I'm not fucking around when I say it's maybe the best album of this challenge so far, about a tenth of the way in. I'd give this a 6/5 if I could. This is the type of jazz I'd call captivating. It made me want to lie down and close my eyes to take nothing but the music in. The second time I listened to it, with my headphones, I felt like I was being carried away. Impeccable.

What a freaking journey, man. This album takes you through so many moods, at times switching them up all rapid-fire like, but with a real sense of narrative behind it all. I could not tell you exactly what the intended story about - all I know is it's a ballet with a black saint and a sinner lady somewhere in there - but the emotional beats, the musical callbacks, the cathartic fuckin ending, they're all pretty evocative even without any lyrics. Hell, I'd consider the Spanish guitar as its own character the way its appearance (and later reappearance) had me hyped the fuck out. Incredible stuff that goes beyond just jazz here. Love the way everything comes together. It'll need a few more listens to fully digest, especially the more cacophonic parts, but I feel good about a 5 given the peaks it had on these first two listens

Mingus is so awesome. His music both demands and rewards your undivided attention. Very rarely do i listen to an album without getting distracted, checking my phone, or cleaning, but I sat down and enjoyed this one uninterrupted. So many interesting ideas and you never know what he'll do next - and in my opinion, this isn't even his best album.

I went in to this album expecting to give a relatively low score, and after the getting most of the way through track A I felt that a 2 or maybe 3 was in order. It started somewhat slowly and felt a bit repetitive. It's unfortunate the album starts in the way it does because I feel it can easily put someone off the album, it certainly did for me, leading me to pay less attention to the coming tracks. I re-listened later to rectify this after thoroughly enjoying the final track. When the saxophone came in during Track A though I knew there was something special about this album. Unfortunately, Track A to me is still the worst, the initial section goes on for too long, whereas the other tracks are consistent with sprinkles of magic throughout this only really takes off when the saxophone comes in. But when it comes, wow. It steals the show. Throughout the album you'll so often be hit with a bunch of instruments at the same time and yet somehow it just works, sometimes it feels like the music is screaming out, other times that different instruments are at odds with each other but intentionally so. The opening to track B is so beautiful, slow and serene, with a pretty piano and later on delightful horns. Then it sounds like something is approaching, almost cartoonish then these weird like vocal sounds come in which I love and the track just keeps gaining pace, its exciting and has this impending feel to it. Eventually it finally calms down, near silence, then bam, back to life once more. C starts with a pretty relaxed piano, simple yet super effective. The flute throughout is such a beautiful addition, then we get hit with this Spanish guitar. I have no clue how it manages to balance all of this without sounding like an absolute mess. I have to imagine there is a lot being said here that I'm missing due to my lack of fluency with music in general. The last track is a long one, 18 minutes, and it does not disappoint. Again it's hard to my finger on exactly what it is doing but it made me feel such strong emotion. Beyond it being somewhat positive I'm not sure how to describe it, I want to say hope with a hint excitement but I don't think that quite covers the range, but it had such a weight to it; I can name few other songs that achieve the same. I will note, this isn't the easiest or most fun listen at times. I wouldn't expect to come back to this music much. Despite that, what this album managed to achieve for me is extremely impressive, and I can only imagine my appreciation for it growing over time. Best tracks - Track B- Duete Solo Dancers, Track C- Group Dancers, Medley: Mode D / Mode E / Mode F Worst track - Track A- Solo Dancer

What is there to say?

Flagship Jazz album here. Mingus is a true master of jazz orchestration. Horns wail on this thing unlike many jazz albums. Mingus uses them to communicate fiercely and in honest fashion. They meander, they trail off and squawk back into centerfold at breakneck speeds. There's so much character in each of the compositions. The supporting instruments, usually in the form of strings (including piano) are incredibly bold but never cloud the stage or take anything away from the pacing. Mingus is raw and Mingus certainly plays no games. It's a wonderful record, and one that would like to argue with you at any time of day. The closer ties it up so nicely by revisiting the instrumental themes but speeding up and playing even more intensely a 3rd or 4th time around, then slowing them down and playing it entirely differently results in a new mood. Expression is potent stuff.

Awesome! Didn't know this, but I loved it.

5 A classic Jazz album that doesn't sound like a classic Jazz album. Meticulous composition from Mingus that skillfully matches themes and variations from Classical music with the undercurrent of Jazz. Masterful and still beautiful.

Extraordinary record combining social history, outre jazz and remarkable songwriting

Wow, there is something compelling about this. It really drew me in. Going to see this live with the intended ballet would be amazing. Apparently ‘third stream’ is the sub genre for me. I really dig the fusion of jazz and classical. What a lovely discovery

man, sometimes you listen to an album and you are just blown away. this is one of them. i'm not a huge jazz guy but i have a light appreciation for the genre at large. this is unlike most jazz i've ever heard. obviously it's got a bit of a big band feel but it is off the rails and fun. it is chaotic, and yet, extremely organized in its chaos. if you're looking at the "machine" from afar, it may seem chaotic, but if you take a closer look, you can see all the pieces working together and executing perfectly. this thing never gets boring. it ebbs and flows in such a fascinating way. slow, fast, soft, loud. everything just works so fell. simply a well-crafted, incredibly interesting and fascinating piece. music is art, but this, to me, is art as music.

Charles Mingus was already probably my favorite jazz musician. Ah Hum is so good and is one of my favorite albums ever. So now I get to listen to his most acclaimed work! I'm gonna try and write this in real time too! Track A sets this off on a super high note. Those Horns are insane! And the climax at the end is fantastic. I cried to Track B. It's so good Oh my god. The Horns once again are out of this world, but the piano here is utterly perfect. The Speed-ups are crazy and the slowdowns are even better. Track C has a flute!?! And a guitar!?? Holy cow this is so good. Man I don't even know what to say, this is just perfect. Now the Medley. the guitar is back and better then ever. I genuinely am having trouble describing this. It's changing every second it's insane. It just keeps going it's like a forest of sound it's unbelievable. It just goes where ever it pleases and pulls you along for the ride. It's beautiful. Well, that is easily my new favorite jazz album and one of my new all time favorite albums ever. Genuinely Perfect, I have no complaints. 10/10

4.5⭐️/5 [05.28.2025] 01.08.2026

I am in the majority (a supposed majority, that is) of people that would claim they do not fully 'understand' Jazz. I'm still very much inclined to feel this way, but what I can say is that Mingus does his best on each track to create ideas that welcome all with some pretty raucous, jovial and open arms. An absolute delight to give this one a listen, and really I salute the power––previously unbeknownst to me––of musical expression in Jazz. Sure, there are some weird moments, but they are all designed to bring me as the listener SOMEWHERE. "Touch my beloved's thought while her world's affluence crumbles at my feet". Spicy. Sad. Intriguing. 9/10

Energetic, dark, smokey, noir, defiant. Just some of the words that come to mind when you listen to this amazing album. One of the best jazz recordings of all time.

Fantastic record. Organised Chaos.

These jazz albums never miss

One of the craziest and tightest Jazz albums ever, if you don't like this album I just don't know what you are doing

I really enjoyed this album that I had to listen twice. The first time, it made me sleep like a baby

Just, wow. One of my favorite jazz albums.

Listened before?: No, never Fantastic.

It drew me in immediately with the dissonant horns. A difficult first listen. I’m certain that repeated plays will be rewarding. Bullshit warning: It’s busy and cacophonous. Cinematic. Evocative of the dirt and grease and sweat and beauty of hot city at night.

fav: Track a-solo dancer least fav: Track c-group dancers 10/10

This album has really put me onto Mingus. Over the last two years or so I’ve been steeping myself into jazz music and this album goes straight into one of my favorites.

I'm always happy to hear some jazz, despite it not being my favourite genre. Finding something I wouldn't normally listen to is pretty much always a pleasure. Mingus is an artist I'm briefly familiar, having listen to some of his music before. I've long been aware of this album as it is discussed as one of the best of its genre. Hoping it isn't as innaccessible as a lot of jazz tends to be. Track A - Solo Dancer Feels very visual, like it's trying to show me something. I really appreciate how there's always something happening. It never takes you in the direction you might expect. Really love when several different melodies move parallel against each other. There's a bit of carthartic moment with that crazy, chaotic section at the end. Feels like a perfect release of tension. Great. 4.5/5 Track B - Duete Solo Dancers Starts of sort of depressing and moody. Love the buildup and the rapidly increasing tempo. I'm reallt impressed with the percussion on this track. A very technical and presisce track that sounds incredibly difficult to perform. Great. 4.5/5 Track C - Group Dancers Oh that's absolutely magnificent. The amount of emotion that's being expressed is really impressive. That flute is almost magical and the spanish guitar is also just wonderful and unexpected. Dynamic and engaging, never taking the easy path, but never choosing the wrong one either. Okay... The final few minutes were just jawdroppingly awesome. That kicked so much ass. Fantastic. 5/5 Medley: Mode D-Trio and Group Dancers (etc...) This is absolute insanity. I have no idea what is going on, but I'm really digging it. There are so many layers to unpack here. Just the fact that someone has managed to assemble, perform and record this to such perfection is baffling. This is gonna take a while to process, but oh my if those 18 minutes didn't just fly by. Fantastic. 5/5 That was quite the experience. On a first listen it is impossible to catch every detail and every instance of nuance and subtely, though despite the admitably surface level listen I can tell that this is really special. The arrangements and their flawless execution of them speaks for itself. It's so tight, so technical and so experimental that it's at times difficult to picture someone actually playing it. It never goes where you expect it to go, taking you through a sonic journey where everything just makes sense. Stunning, magical, flawless. Some really inspiring stuff, that makes me want to dive deeper into Charles Mingus' discography. 5/5

Magnificent, incredible, indestructible. This album has some of the best musical moments I've ever heard, being the perfect balance of suave and sleazy jazz that makes me want to get up and dance while also making me want to bawl my eyes out all within seconds of each other, and it does it to such a seamless degree on top of it all. Everything fits, every player is in top form, every note means something, and this album is incredible. The hints of Spanish guitar, among other genres, are just cherries on top.

Wonderful - I was concerned about the 18 min song dragging then loved it all

Love this album. I heard it very early in my formative Jazz appreciation years. The sounds, the experimental nature of it, the melodies. I love it. Such an important album for me in my Jazz fanhood.

1963. Jazz. Big Band. 9/10

This is such a rowdy, sassy jazz record. Mingus is a really fun step once you've done Coltrane and Miles

staple jazz record, my favourite jazz record, absolutely amazing, love how it’s all based around one melody

9/10 Soulful Dissonance. Black Saint & The Sinner Lady provides an incredible in between of infectious and sticky movement pieces with a chaotic and dramatic flare. It’s almost like watching an entire narrative unfold despite the record only really being a “ballet”. Some of the best Jazz performances I’ve vert heard are on here, and there’s surprises and suspense at every corner that will definitely make this something I will return to often. For a the longest time I always thought Charlie was playing the world’s smallest trumpet on the cover

een voltreffende dierentuin

Heavy metal!

How do you even write music like this, it’s like creating hurricane with sound

Wow great stuff!!!

I liked the jazz album a lot. The mixing was a bit weird, but definitely more enjoyable than elton john.

I appreciate the 1001 Album Generator including non-mainstream albums like The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus.

Sounded interesting the first time i heard, but didn’t fully get it per se. Hearing it again and again, the music is addicting. It kind of has the slow burn vibe that i get from composers like Rahman. pick: Group Dancers

Brain scrambling in the best way possible

Duet Solo Dancers is one of my favorite jazz tracks