Reviews (page 5 of 13)
Best Jazz album I've ever heard thanks Mister Mingus
It's quite bluesy and theatrical; the music has a kind of emotional narrative you follow through the whole composition. The big shifts in tempo go through a range of emotions: it sometimes feels tense, sometimes exciting, and then slow and quite unsettling dark tones as well. It's quite different to people like Miles Davies. There are no big spacious soundscapes or easy grooves. It's about the ensemble as a whole, there's no focus on any one instrument or any significant solos.
Really solid album. It’s hard to describe why I like this but I just feel like it does exactly what it set out to do. It’s the perfect amount of experimental - interesting but easy to listen to. Track 4 was probably my fav
Good stuff
Jazz is a big hit and miss for me but I found I really quite enjoyed this. Very sporadic instrumentation, chaotic yet so technical and precise. Pretty cool.
Really good
A lot to unpack in one listen, very innovative for the early 60s. Not my usual listen but really enjoyed it.
okok après A Supreme Love, ça fait du bien d'avoir un jazz dansant, avec quelques passages un peu déjantés (petits stops & go très appréciés pour insuffler d'autres modes rythmiques par moments). la construction en 4 parties et le fait que ça ait été pensé comme un ballet est très satisfaisant, en un sens. 4.2 étoiles pour cet album qui passe vraiment bien!
Este disco me fez vencer certas dificuldades com esta mistura de jazz orquestral com insinuações atonais. Os temas são muito bonitos e as interpretações conseguem jogar com o caos e o lirismo de forma brilhante. Ótimo álbum!
very jazzy
A Jazz album I already owned but want necessarily in love with, preferring his other records Mingus Ah I'm and MIngus Mingus Mingus... This one obviously makes my family uncomfortable and is the least easy listening of the three, but has a formidable reputation and complexity. The final track is over 18 mins and is a Medley in many parts, some of which are my favourite of the album. Overall it is obviously great if not a favourite.
What a genius. Incredible motif which is just brilliantly used and abused over the 39min run. Very funny cause I’m transcribing one of his songs at the moment so this is perfect timing for his vibe.
I really do have a soft spot for jazz, and this album touches that spot. A beautiful and experimental album that was both fun and brilliant.
I have a hard time rating this as I am not super well-versed in jazz music. That being said this is incredible to my ear and I really enjoy Mingus's stuff. 9/10
to
Yeah this was good
Ytterligare ett album med viben "huvudkaraktären i en disney-film med humanoida djur ser en snygg hona" varvat med "samma huvudkaraktär har nyss fått en smäll i huvudet av antagonisten och är groggy" men det är ändå jäkligt najs? :D
I like jazz
Solo Dancer - 4/5 Duet Solo Dancers - 3/5 Group Dancers - 4/5 Trio and Group Dancers - 4/5 Average score: 3.8/5 while i wish i could rate this higher, i'm afraid this is too complex for me to fully appreciate. props for the musicianship tho
Pretty nice jazz vibes
Para no gustarme especialmente el jazz ya me he escuchado este disco dos veces en lo que va de día. Y es que, además de jazz, aquí también ha mucho swing y bastante exploración en lo que ahora llamamos World Music, sobre todo de África y, oh sorpresa, España. De las cuatro partes de la que consta el álbum, prácticamente la totalidad de la cuarta es una composición con aires flamencos y guitarra española bastante inesperada pero muy muy acertada. Por razones obvias, es la parte con la que más he conectado. Y es que el disco comienza frenético, continúa bastante acelerado y solo al comienzo de la parte D nos da un respiro, porque el final vuelve a ser de mascletà. ¡Que viva el viento!
Loved that. You’ve got to turn up if you have an 18 min track on your album and Charlie does just that. Listened to him all day.
A six-part jazz ballet with liner notes by his therapist...in 1963?! Thank you, KING MINGUS, for this symphonic séance of self-dissection.
fireeee
I read that this was an avant-garde jazz album before listning to it, which helped me set my expectations. This is not an easy album to listen to. It goes everywhere, and switches up the genres at the drop of a hat. I usually listen to my 1001-album of the day, at work. This is not a good album to listen to while working. But consider all that, i really like it. I doubt i'll listen to it, again though
I thought this was interesting! I consider myself generally a fan of Jazz, but this was a certain niche within Jazz that I found pretty cool. It felt like a combination of early fusion MIles Davis (In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew) along with (interestingly enough) a hint of classical music, especially the more Jazz inspired composers such as Gershwin and Ravel. I also liked the variety of instruments he used, including an acoustic guitar at one point. Interesting is definitely the one word I would use to describe this. Favorite Track: Track B- Duete Solo Dancers
I’m glad I waited to listen to this while I walked around a fall night in portland
Detektiv-musikk!
Amazing record -- great performances throughout. great listening too. would love to spend more time with it and have it around. From a really cool era of jazz as well. The piano sections of the final track are especially noteworthy.
Love this album
It's big and brassy but so so short. Goes by in a flash. Very sexy and full of passion. I dont really care for the second track and it's 1/4 of the album, so can't be a five but glad to have it.
This album makes me want to drink martini’s and smoke cigarettes in a dimly lit bar
A wild ride!
4-
Nice jaaaaaz music
Would buy.
freaky, progressive, radical, intense, and utterly facemelting. this album rocks. still fire and shocking nowadays. in '63 i bet this blew people's minds deserves to be one of the 1001? you bet ur ass it does
It's hard to get into jazz, especially when it got taken over by the mainstream and easy listening or smooth jazz became the norm, especially during the 60s. But Charlie Mingus always sounds cool to me, and I can definitely appreciate his artistry, even if I am a jazz noob. He manages to find new dimensions and pathways into the basic melody that no normal musician would ever think of, and it all works as an artistic whole.
Beautiful and immersive. This album makes you feel like you are in a Walter Mosley novel.
Piccolo's running with a pretty wild crowd.
Pairs great with a NYC stroll
Pretty good jazz!
The highest rated jazz album of all time on Rate Your Music (https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/all-time/g:jazz/) Solid
4.1 2x good stuff
Charlie Mingus could do no wrong. Brilliant album. Up there with The Clown and Mingus Ah Um and Mingus Plays Piano. . . and Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus. . .
Its Mingus ... c'mon!
When it comes to ‘proper’ jazz, I think Charles Mingus is probably one of my favourites - he’s certainly the one I reach for the most when the mood takes me. The thing is, I have no idea how to express what I think about it - I just know I really enjoy losing myself in it. The genre can often be tricky to make sense of but although Mingus’ records always feel like the real deal in terms of the gritty technicalities, they often feel very accessible to an untrained ear. This isn’t my favourite Mingus record but it’s a mightily immersive album that will sweep you away if you let it.
This is the kind of jazz you hear at Christmas time, settled down at a coffee shop or something, watching people go about their evenings. Its great background music that doesnt do too much to pull your attention, just a good jazzy vibe.
not what I usually listen to but very cool, bluesy, growly. love the instruments.
I think I just found the kind of jazz I like!
okay this was so intricate and savory and swanky! i'm generally too dumb to fully appreciate jazz but i can tell when i'm hearing something this well -crafted. i am not one to put jazz on at home but LOVE a jazz lounge in person. i would play this in a jazz lounge (live of course) with an expensive whiskey on the rocks.
Jazz bassist, pianist and composer Charles Mingus' 1963 studio album is a melodically rich and harmonically complex work, with the pieces linked together by recurring motifs and chord progressions, but which also moves through a variety of moods and styles before reaching its conclusion.
Tiene el ritmo de un sueño, puede pasar de frenetico a tranquilo casi ni que te enteres. Tambien creo que puede ser muy buen representativo del ruido mental y tene mil pensamientos a la vez. Eso si si tienes sensibilidad con los ruidos altos te recomiendo escucharlo a volumen bajo/medio. Jazz que me recuerda a cowboy bebop. No se lleva el 10 porque el final ha sido demasiado ruidoso y tartamudo para mi,
Eminently listenable and full of wonderful lines and melodies. There's a tendency for jazz to get too self indulgent, but this straddles the line nicely between the musicians and the listener.
Damn close to a 5. Charles Mingus is incredible.
Extremely sophisticated noir jazz that makes you feel damn cool.
Listened to this album and felt like I was discovering a new language. At first I couldn't appreciate the mix of instruments and rhythms but as released any kind of judgement I felt excited by the surprise of what came next. This is definitely not an album to relax too. High energy and complex.
Fascinating listen. Some of the most musically complex arrangements I've ever heard. Some of it honestly felt too dense at times. The brass in particular comes through in a very tonally piercing way that makes their highlighted sections less appealing. Definitely feels like an album that requires multiple attentive listens to fully appreciate, but still a lot to love here
If jazz is your thing then this is an album to have. I dig it!
Dis good Mingus
Not familiar with Charles Mingus previously but this is about as jazzy as it gets. Lots going on and I’m sure I will pick up more on subsequent listens. Will be investigating further!
I enjoyed this, although I'm not sure I'm really qualified to review it. It definitely has a weird sound - he's not really trying to make something that sounds super-pleasant. But it's interesting.
Pretty abstract jazz. I appreciate the art form, and also i won’t be returning to this one.
Klassiker muss sofort an Justus :) denken und victoria;(
Spooky and chaotic, big fan
Not usual a jazz fan but this slaps
This is interesting! It’s essentially big band, but they’re playing a cool, smoky style of jazz, which is not at all what I expect from big band. And those smooth melodies often build into big, chaotic climaxes that feel more like free jazz. There are a few other styles that emerge from the smoke before falling back into the noise — I heard a little Spanish guitar a few times. This is a dense album. I enjoyed throwing myself into it, and I’d be curious to listen more and see what else I find in it.
Textures for days. I love how not every instrument needs to be playing a melody all the time, they can weave in and out and create this musical setting. It's a beautiful and timeless sound. Mingus did a lot of good for jazz and for expressive experimental music. I'm forever a fan and this is a solid representation of his sound!
Fantastic! Track C + D make me want to choreography a fairytale ballet.
vraški dobar džez!
Legendary album. I always love coming back to this. I forgot how much flamenco is in this album. All the jazz heads I talk to seem to agree this is great, and I can't say the same about some other avante garde jazz albums.
Love the feel of most of this 1960s jazz. Such influential music! One piece, however, sounded to me like a disappointing school orchestra. I'll still give it a 4 though - you've gotta be good and brave to compose music like that!
mingus
Whoa, I don't even know where to begin. Not necessarily one for your lazy Sunday mornings.
This album is cool—and it's a grower. Trying to listen to it, preparing for a bike ride, eating a bowl of porridge at 7:30 a.m. was a bit tough; my mind couldn't keep up. But sitting in the garden on a warm evening with a cold beer and the barbecue going, it all clicked. The album is packed with great sounds—from the flamenco guitar and piano to the incredible noise coming from that trombone. You might want to treat it as background music, but it constantly pulls you back in. The performance feels so spontaneous I can’t imagine them playing the same thing twice. This is definitely going on my playlist for when I want to impress people. 4½
Pretty Good, jazz isn't usually on my radar but it was enjoyable
Better than Coldplay
Am finding Mingus a tad minging No it’s interesting just hard work in places you’ve got to actually listen
ive always known i should listen to charles mingus and now i have im glad of it but by the end of that i felt a little on edge
Pretty solid. Lots of different sounds and tempos. Nice Latin vibe happening.
This here is some good thinking man’s jazz. I may not totally get it as I am no thinking man but I enjoyed trying to understand it.
7/10
First spin was a challenge for this square, but the finale to the last track was brilliant, and subsequent spins put this one on track for me. Some great work in here. Not usually a jazz guy, but goddamn if this one didn't grow on me.
-second time listening to this album and i enjoyed it a lot more. it’s so fascinating and noisy and chaotic, but also really beautiful at times -it would have been so hard for me to appreciate avant-garde jazz up until like a year ago. it’s a crazy experience and i just love it -Favorites are Solo Dancer and Duete Solo Dancers
Funky groovy jazz
Iconic and timeless.
Smooth and nice
3.5 - Good
really like this one
Lovely instrumentation, improvisation, and conception.
Charles Mingus: The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady: This is a pretty cool jazz album. A lot of complicated melodies and such. It is very cool, though not something I could listen to all the time. It is both beautiful and chaotic, the piano parts and percussion are excellent. The saxophone can be a little much, but it is mostly very cool. A very nice album even if its a little much at times for my tastes. 8.25/10
Have heard about this album before but never listened to it until it came up on the generator. The playing is outstanding. I liked this. It's not on the level as Kind of Blue or Love Supreme but this is a solid album.
Loved it! These jazz musicians were the real thing!
Horns scream, bass wanders, everything spirals into a beautiful nervous breakdown. One point off for making me feel like I should be shooting heroin instead of sitting on the couch eating chips.
Delightful indulgent Jazz record.
I can dig it
Okay, you know, I'm not usually big on these jazz albums, and I wouldn't listen to this very casually I think, but this is a really fucking solid jazz album. Cool stuff here, very lively, nice motifs, just good stuff.
Oh my god. I get it. I've heard this album twice before and never really enjoyed it as much as some of Mingus' other works, but something about it just... really clicked in this time. The sheer scale of the work, and its legitimate comparisons to classical works, unlocked its full depth for me. I'm excited to give this one more listens soon.
Super
Heard many times, great but not up there with ah um
Wow, a creepily good album. It's like a movie was playing in my head. Haunting, thrilling, and often threatening. Could I listen to this album forever? I don't think so, but at the moment it's haunting me. Strangely, in this threatening backdrop, this strange, somewhat out-of-place Spanish guitar keeps appearing. A wonderful album, but only for people who can handle it. Someone is playing with their demons. 5 stars. Classy and creepy.
8/10… free Jazz
I got into this album years ago because of Thom Yorke. He said the “traffic jam” sound of The National Anthem was influenced by Charles Mingus, so I had to check him out. This record really itches my brain in the right way. It actually became one of my go-to albums for research and writing papers in grad school. Maybe chaotic avant-jazz was not the best soundtrack for writing essays. And I did have some severe anxiety and perfectionism issues throughout that time… if anything, maybe this music reflected my state of mind. To this day, I still love this record. The cacophany just sounds right to me. I find it soothing, not stressful. I don’t know what that says about me.
Great album. It manages to be very chaotic but seemingly organised at the same time. For how 'out there' his music is, it is remarkably easy to digest. Don't really listen to Mingus that much, but I don't really know why this is the release that everyone seems to drool over. I personally like The Clown and Ah Um better. Still a great album, but it doesn't win me over like some other jazz records do.
Un buen álbum para crear un buen ambiente. Maybe no tan fan escucharlo con cascos. Buenas vibras para empezar el día
Fantastic instrumental/jazz album. Not my typical listening fare—that’s all that kept it from 5 stars for me personally.
This is pretty great, not that I'll pretend it's something I'll put on regularly. But it's surprisingly melodic and easy for my brain to follow.
Wanted to give this five stars. Clearly an amazing work. A little too rambling and lengthy for my taste.
148/1089 - I like Mingus's songs better. For example: Nostalgia in Times Square, Moanin, Fables of Faubus, etc. Overall, Mingus is definitely an important jazz composer, and had a quite different mind for arrangement than many of his contemporaries, but this album isn't the best showcase of that. The compositions themselves are good but the backgrounds and comping are very repetitive and the players sound like they just discovered the octatonic scale and want to show off all they're cool altered chords to each other. The "Ah Um" album is an easy 5 star.
Excellenf
Yeah, it's jazz for sure.
a classic is a classic
It took me a while – and a father-in-law – to find the piece of classical music I heard stalking through this record. It’s Grieg’s “Peer Gynt, Op. 46: I. Morning Mood” – listen to “Track C-Group Dancers” (2m 37s) for a runaway cassette tape meltdown rendition of Grieg’s famous motif. Anyway. I like jazz. I like difficult genius. And smack bang in the middle of that – and just about everything else – is Mingus. And what a Mingus this is. A nebula of sound; textures, moods erupting and enveloping, ebbing, flowing, stopping just as sharply as they started. Mingus drops better ideas than most have ever had (certainly I’ve ever had) within about 14-seconds of forming them. It’s heady – both in the sense it’s celebratory (the playing is utterly immense), and in the sense it’s cerebral (to the composer, chapeau). Anyway. I remember a painting of a fox from my childhood. In it, the fox is standing over a pile of rescued items – crisp packets, cigarette butts, cans of Coke sort of thing. And every time I’d look at the painting I’d notice a new detail, not because there were necessarily that many to notice … but because the image itself had a way of hiding things from you (or revealing things, depending on your perspective). It might have been Grieg this time, but I’ll bet it’ll be something else next.
Good jazz jams
Loved it! Was nice to have on and helped keep me focused with work actually. Bit chaotic at times but other times hypnotising and rhythmic.very Jazzy 4/5
I forget about Charles Mingus sometimes and I shouldn’t.
I just don’t know how to judge jazz. I liked it.
Lovely.
Probably the jazz album I've enjoyed the most. Its messy, uncomfortable at times, but always interesting with extremely varied instrumentation that surprised me, like the flute and the spanish guitar.
Completely wild. It broke into every direction at once; Spanish guitars, shouting horns, swirling chaos. It doesn’t stay in one place for long, but it leaves a hell of an impression.
Nice
Two of the things I most like about Jazz are 1. The tension that is built and the resolutions and 2. The unpredictability. This has a lot of that and maybe too much tension. That said, this is more of an art piece than something to throw on for the enjoyment of music. It would be a great score for a sort of unhinged noir movie. Maybe the detective is high on heroin 90% of the movie. Happy to finally do a full Mingus listen, hope we get more of his stuff. Cool as hell. Quite weird. Reminds me a bit of Zappa. Tough call but rounding up to 4.
I usually don’t ‘get’ jazz or really understand what the musicians are trying to express. It’s too cerebral for me, too mathematical and abstract. But this album filled me with a kind of dread that I sort of enjoyed, I think? It was definitely more work to enjoy than my typical taste - had to tell myself to ‘hang in there’ through more than a few chaotic spasms of trombone, but it was worth it, overall, I think. I guess I can’t just spend the rest of my life playing air guitar to AC/DC, can I?
Exceptional instrumentation. Sometimes things are not cohesive (even within each individual song), but that isnt always a bad thing. The 6 movements are fairly distinct. Seeing a ballet version of this wouldve been reallllly cool. Hard to pull this record off the shelf, but its really great background jazz and is stylistically unique/hip
Definitely one of the more interesting albums so far. I had known Mingus by name, but not sure I had ever really listened. I don't think I'm a huge fan of avante-garde jazz, but what I really appreciate about this album is that alot of it sounds like it was super composed/orchestrated - like a jazz symphony. The wiki says it was written as a ballet, which make sense. It's absolutely chaotic and disorienting, and pretty uncomfortable for most of it, but still has enough footing in reality to be listenable (even enjoyable). Especially love the unexpected instrumentation, like the flamenco guitar and the classical piano bit in Mode D. I don't know if and when I'll come back to this, but seems like an album and artist that would reward some relistens.
I've done a decent bit of jazz exploration from some of the greats, such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, etc., but I actually have yet to really spend any time with Charles Mingus. This album is a joy to listen to, there is a lot going on and it's relatively unpredictable which direction the songs will go. I do appreciate that each piece flows into the next, which gives it even more of a cohesive listening experience. I don't think I've listened to anything that touches on avant garde jazz with the size of this horn section, so it's really interesting to hear some more experimental jazz with a big band type sound. It's a great sounding album with a nice wide sound stage. Will certainly revisit along with additional exploration, but if we're being honest that was always the plan!
More intriguing jazz which will require more listening.
Wow
felt like it wanted to tell a story, like a movie soundtrack, unfortunately that made it kind of feel like there was a piece missing to me.
Dit loev ik wel hoor maatje. Het scheelt wel dat het niet zo'n lang album is, want een 2x LP van dit had ik niet kunnen hebben.
Everyone solo for half an hour!
Track 3 wow!!!! Loved
Uh. I think it’s too much to have an opinion on this album after one listen. It’s a lot. I’ve dabbled with Charles Mingus before. I live the tune “goodbye pork pie hat” and so I got “Mingus Ah Um” and maybe a couple of others. But it’s not easy listening. It’s intense with a lot going on and a sort of dissonance that makes me feel queasy. I know that this is not the music’s fault. Nor is it mine. It’s just that this is music as ART and needs approaching with a bit more background reading and focus than a pop or rock record. This is like classical music. This is my way of saying, essentially, that I don’t really get it, but I’ll come back to it!
Head-spinning experimental jazz with weird horn fills and Spanish guitar. Not a huge jazz fan but really liked this.
I’m not really sure why, but I found this jazz album more enjoyable than a lot of others that I’ve heard. I guess it isn’t that wacky kind of jazz, and is more sedate and beatnik. It does still have that usual trope of having very few songs compared to the run time, but I didn’t really find myself getting bored while listening. I’m still unlikely to go out of my way to listen again, but that doesn’t reduce my surprise at enjoying this. It’s good, and it just sorta sounds cool.
I think I'm beginning to like Jazz. I never thought that would happen, but between Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Count Basie and more on this list so far, I'm finding a lot more to enjoy about jazz than dislike.
decently compelling jazz album
Really cool album. It consist of 4 tracks, but they’re all lengthy and follow a central theme, so it really feels like one long continuous song.
Okay, I vibed with this a *lot* more than a lot of the jazz on here, it helps that it was quite such a single piece with implicit movement
cool. (⌐■_■)
The best high school teacher I had was an old guy who would give us an English assignment to work on in class, then sprint outside and kinda hide in the trees and smoke 2-3 smokes in a row real fast. We would watch him from the window. He also talked a lot about Charles Mingus.
Track A - Solo Dancer Track C - Group Dancers Mode D/E/F
Mint
Decent
I think this project is slowly turning me into a jazz fan. I'd never really given it a chance much before but it's awesome being exposed to such excellent examples of it. And this album especially is one of the best pieces of jazz I've heard, an opinion I'd reached about midway through the third movement. Such beautiful work.
i liked this one! it’s fun, upbeat, and pretty easy to listen to. my fav songs were track b and track c.
First three tracks were interesting and energetic, fourth track was cool with the flamenco guitar. Would definitely like to listen to this album again, 4/5.
Honestly, one of the better jazz albums on this list so far
Classic jazz album
Pretty great. I especially liked the second track.
Smokey streets and flashing neon lights. Nice. 4
A real musical adventure, I love it, but only for a careful Iisten. Not background music. Really well made - just one star off because it fills me with awe but not with emotion.
Great
Fun! He had great jazz
EVIL 😈 Album, the theme of dancers in which the numbers increase throughout the songs was cool and the acoustic guitar with the flamenco parts was really unexpected in the last two songs but was really great, also again the evil mixed with the not so evil parts was a cool dynamic which definitely fits the name of the album. Very awesome 8/10
I really like this album's ambition to make a jazz concept album. The 4 tracks are well separated, but combine so many elements from each other that it does feel like one cohesive piece - something that is rare for Jazz albums of its time. 8/10
84/100.
what's this about? hard to say. it's a jazz ballet, that's cool. it's a great sound and mingus was undeniably a master. i like it but it's not his greatest work. in 1972, charles mingus would publish his only written work--an illustrated pamphlet that would go down in history as rivalling the great american writers of his time. this revelation, entitled The Charles Mingus CAT-alog for Toilet Training Your Cat, is a step-by-step guide on how to get your feline companion to use the toilet within just a few weeks, written in honor of mingus's own fur baby, Nightlife, with whom he successfully employed this very method. you start with a simple cardboard box filled with shredded newspaper--do NOT use kitty litter. get rid of your kitty litter, you don't need it anymore. where's your box now? it doesn't matter, anywhere is fine. EXCEPT the bathroom. if it's already in the bathroom, sister, you've given yourself extra work. take it out of the bathroom, gradually so as not to disturb your cat's habits, and work it to somewhere else in the house. this is where things get tricky. over the next couple weeks, however long it takes, move the box just a few feet per day toward the bathroom. if your cat starts shitting on the floor where the box was, you've moved it too far and lost a day. each time you move it, cut down the sides of the box by just a couple inches. eventually, you will reach the porcelain throne. at this point, stick the box on top of the CLOSED toilet seat with the sides shaved down to just about an inch--almost flat, but with enough height to avoid spillovers and secure it to the toilet with string, tape, or however you prefer. you're in the home stretch. in no time at all now your little guy or gal will be working the pot with the best of them. after a couple days of on-the-seat shitting, take the box, cut down the rest of the sides so it's flat, and put it over the open seat itself. keep using your shredded sunday times, but cut a little hole over the center so that the cat can see it. according to mingus, your cat is gonna go nuts for the hole. aim for it. expand it. he knows, somewhere deep down in the primal shared consciousness of all felines, that this is what he was meant to do. and that's pretty much it--you've hit gold. to quote the pamphlet, "at this point you will realize you have won." your cat is one step closer to achieving humanity, and your daily chores just got a little easier. flushing? oh, yeah, that should happen accidentally. if the cat hits the handle and sees that the toilet will bury the waste then he'll keep flushing or something. trust the process. anyway, i don't know or care enough about jazz to give this a 5 or a 3, but it was a really enjoyable listen and it's obviously impressive. 4/5 my cats are become as gods now
Great jazz. Super well composed and the musicianship is phenomenal. It really takes you on a journey. I don’t really have much else to say but I’m glad I found time in my schedule to pencil Mr. Mingus in.
Classic of unconventional jazz.
Great jazz record. I definitely want to revisit it when I'm more in the mood for jazz. It did kind of all run together, and demanded more focus than I was willing to give.
Not what I was expecting at all, but VERY good jazz. Pleasing to the ear and the heart.
A great representation of jazz. This is what jazz is now even tho it is a great album it isn’t perfect. Just a bit boring for 40minutes of jazz instrumental but still good. Don’t have much to say tbh just solid all around😂 7.6/10 3.8/5 Second listen in almost 5 months later and I’ve learnt to appreciate jazz so much more. Personally I wouldn’t listen to this in my free time but how technical and there being so many layers to it is definitely a driving factor if we are being real. Sometimes I do think some instruments are not needed and ruin the mood but cmon that doesn’t rly change my opinion on this project. I remember seeing fantano giving it a 10 which is far from the truth and I’m gonna give this a 8.6/10 4.3/5
erm so this is some exprimental thing? and this is supposed to be a ballet score? well it sounds great! maybe i should thank my ballet dancing experience from kindergarten to 3rd grade for being able to understand this shite of an album because i can somehow imagine how this should function as a dance score, and it is not as bad as it sounds after i envisions the dancing that should accompany the album. 4/5
loved this to the bits. knew that it was jazz but I’ve never listened to anything quite instrumentally rich as this album before. feeling my musical horizons expanding. no words and still it felt like somehow a story was unfolding in front of me. reminds me of film soundtracks (60s and 70s thrillers maybe), definitely a nighttime album. incredible how instruments can have this much power.
Maybe a tad too abstract for my musical taste.
Thoroughly weird avant-garde jazz.
Enjoyable! Good background music for working.
I enjoyed this. Quite an accessible dive into jazz, and pleasant to boot.
awesome
Very nice
Festive and pretty at the same time without becoming a giant soup of notes and noises. Pretty good!
Great stuff
You know I love a 40 minute album. I feel like I'll give any album a listen if it's under an hour. Without any vocals, when I listen to Jazz, my brain always places it as a soundtrack for something. This album takes you on a journey from a sunny Sunday afternoon brunch kind of sound, to a stressful, murder mystery in a dark alleyway. Some real peaks and valleys here - making it hard for me to pick the right mood to be in to put something like this on. There's a lot going on, I saw someone call it "organized chaos," and I think that perfectly describes how I feel about good Jazz music - organized being the key word here for me to enjoy it. This is quality jazz though, and I can appreciate that. I was actually surprised to recognize some of it: "Track C" is so familiar and I'm not sure where I know it from.
Amazing 4/5
Very unique and singular. Sounds like manic mood swings interpreted through jazz. Excellent album
Surprising to me that I’ve never heard this one before, clearly it’s a neglect on my behalf as this one is stunning. Can’t wait to re-listen as there’s so much going on here.
exciting, nasty, cluttered jazz 8/10
This is a wild record, to the point that it almost gets overwhelming at times. It has this really special feeling to it, almost spiritual in a ritualistic sort of way. It’s not an album that you can listen to passively, given its repeated and quite violent smacks to whatever part of your brain processes music. I truly believe this album belongs very high on the list of albums to listen to before you die, and its inclusion here is a no brainer. This album is definitely art, there’s no other way to put it. It’s almost beyond description with words, and I’m glad I got to experience it. I’m not really sure if I’d listen to it again, but I don’t think that takes away from its artistry and beauty.
first song in and I love this already. This is gonna be good.
Oh this is good, it's like riding a storm, it gives you the melodies to hold onto and then takes you out into the wilds.
I’m not really a Jazz person by any means, in fact I would go as far as to say I’m the furthest thing from a Jazz listener. But I can’t in good faith give an album 1 stars just because I don’t listen to the genre, so I tried to look at this objectively rather than from my bubble and I think 4 stars is fair, it was nice to have playing in the background while I did some work it got me in a good space to get it done. I can’t say I will be listening much to Jazz from here on out as it’s still not my music style but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Favorite Track: Mode D, I like the different instruments he had throughout this one, reminded me of a band competition I went to one time.
one of my fave jazz albums
I don't get the freeform parts, but I recognize the artistry of the musicians. There is quite a lot of variation between these four pieces which made it more enjoyable than a lot of jazz records.
I don't know much about jazz, but it was a very good listen - an album full of changes in tempo, styles and mood, overall it has quite a dark atmosphere on it and it kept my interest going throughout the whole album.
Really good album. Enjoyed the connective nature of the sons and the melodies were great. When the band explored more the album shines. 4/5 Will listen again
Listened: 10/02/2025 Album no: 17 % rating: 73% Fave Song: Track B - Duet Solo Dancers Absolutely classic jazz. Wonderful to hear. There’s a trumpet on track two that literally sounds like someone singing. Wild and fabulous. Also kinda reminds me of old Disney movies at points. I put this on while I was working and I initially thought there would be too much going on to concentrate, but the opposite happened. I got on with a lot of stuff. Love that. Yeah really enjoyed this!
A lilting and mysterious vibe, with a bit of a frenetic tone at times. I enjoyed it but the vibes made my ears annoyed a couple times.
Noch nie gehört, und cool! :-D
Actually insane
Jazzy jazz jazz
Combination if different styles of jazz, Spanish guitar was surprising
Some nice and dense and heady jazz. I'll take the jazz heads' word that it's brilliant, it feels like a 4 for me though. Something really good that I need to be in the mood/headspace for.
Track B slaps. Love whatever is making that vocalization sound. Makes me want to buy some jazz vinyl
Maybe I don't get the intended message on first listen, but I'm not sure if this is like the best album of all time or whatever. I really like parts of it (like the whole first songs and most of the last). Favourite songs: first and last. Overall around 7/10
The Good: a short little album of only 4 songs The Bad: that these songs combined are 40 mimutes long The Ugly: that we are left without any real knowledge of what happens between The Black Saint and The Sinner Lady… This is jazz… the kind that is hated by many, and adored by those who do. The kind of music which, like it or not, makes you pay attention while you are trying to figure out what the musicians are thinking. While playing on the background, time flew by, and that is a good thing. What I don’t know is if time would pass just as fast if I were actually paying attention to the music, as there is so much to pay attention to. Also, I am cheating here as I am catching up on several albums while I was away for a week, therefor unable to really get into this album… so let me play it a second time around and see what my second time around thoughts are… Liking it better second time around… odd… weird… wondering if I would get a headache if I’d listen to this with headphones on—this due to trumpets on one side, sax on the other… So, yeah, another jazz album done… 4*
my new “lock in” album ahah
own
Very nice.
Pure chaos. At least that's why I heard. Luckily, I like chaos.
Really good jazz :)
Gives me Gen 4 Pokemon vibes. Jazzy.
4 stars. I like this one.
WOW what a ride.....maybe a bit too long for my tastes. Jazz aint for everyone.
Sehr spannend!
Great album!
Excellent album de jazz. Bien que c'est entièrement instrumental, on a l'impression d'écouter un film tellement c'est varié en son et comment chaque passage s'enchaîne. Définitivement à garder en rotation. 9/10
I wish I could talk about jazz the way I can talk about other genres, but I will say that this is some really, really good stuff. A very diverse range of sounds and emotions condensed into 40 minutes. Powerful.
I love this, how it goes from the noisy jumble to beautiful pieces of composed music, then back into the jumble, weaving in and out of itself perfectly. Not something I’d listen to daily, but this is something I plan to revisit and keep on a rotation when I need something a little different to listen to. I think it’s great. I’ll be checking out more of his work.
A few days ago, this list gave me the 'Spy vs Spy' John Zorn album, a hilariously awful avant-garde 'jazzcore' performance (which I gave five stars because fuck it) I'm pretty sure this album by Charles Mingus is what Zorn heard in his head as he made his album. While definitely not avant-garde by any means, Mingus and his ensemble crash into the album with hurricane intensity, and rarely let up throughout the full runtime. The drummer, Dannie Richmond, commands the rhythm and urgency of the feel, while the horns (especially the muted horns) bring a sense of rawness and mysticism that immediately hooks the listener, and doesn't let go until the end.
Good but songs went on for wayyy too long to listen to as a non fan of jazzy stuff. But what I could tolerate was good and the last track, despite being 20 minutes long was enjoyable.
i liked this a lot more than i was expecting to
I really enjoyed this record but there was this weird sound like a Maraca almost in the first track that made me think that I was having car trouble so I guess I'll take a star off of that otherwise
Bit unsettling but not too much to not want to listen to it.
Moody, feels like the score to a surrealist film noir.
This one is interesting even as jazz albums go. It's not a light listen by any means, but it is complex and rewarding. This one deserves undivided attention to fully appreciate but I could tell right away that this is a jazz classic for a reason.
I do love to circle back on some jazz every once in a while and this was a welcome day for it. Very enjoyable!
A film noir freak out, this is THE album to listen to while tailing some dame and slipping into a hallucinatory mental breakdown.
Very experimental, and very cool. The only jazz I've heard so far that trows away convential music norms in this list has been A Love Supreme by Coltrane. This was easier to listen to, I think because of that experience and overall I enjoyed this ballet quite a bit. My favorite is Track C - Group Dancers. A long piano build up, a couple hits of the motiff, and then some Spanish guitar, feels like story telling through the music. Not sure how I'll enjoy this as a stand alone piece in my playlist, but for now it stays.
First jazz ballet I've ever heard. Gotta say, it's some pretty good stuff. Also, I loved this guy in The Wire.
Contrary to the fun and upbeat jazz I normally gravitate towards this was a lot darker. Still very interesting and gets very immersive by the 3rd track. While it may not be everyone's go to for casual listening, it's absolutely worth listening to atleast once for its sheer artistry.
Bardzo fajne. Zupełnie nie znam się na jazzie, ale brzmi autentycznie, z głębi serca i nie od linijki, ale tak na wyczucie. 4/5
This album is an incredible explosion of sound that maintains negative space throughout. The saxophone bursts in Tract A—watch out! I can’t even tell how many instruments are playing, but it all comes together. I like it.
A push me pull you album. Wildly engaging and beautifully offputting but always beguiling. The production is fascinating - long string lined mesmerize until horns sporadically show up and slice through the proceedings. On subsequent listens musical ideas continue to develop. Not my favorite Mingus album but it definitely stakes out a unique and important space.
Hard to digest but glad I've listened to it. Will listen to it some more and this will probably grow on me
I like Mingus.
I don't know what I was expecting from Charles Mingus but this was better
SBAM
Felt like a Solo Dancer on a stage in an empty theater listening to this.
Not my favorite jazz album but still really cool!
Great jazz album, interesting mix of unsettling and soothing.
4 maybe 5
I always like when jazz pops up on this list and this was no exception.
Seems like I just love all Jazz. This was another cool one. Keep em coming
Not bad for a jazz record! Usually I really don’t like jazz but this has some awesome moments. Will come back for some of the tracks.
Enjoyed this album, had a different jazz vibe
I like how Mingus and his musicians can veer from sounding like an elementary school orchestra tuning up before a performance only to suddenly come together for a beautiful, cohesive interlude and then break apart again into chaos.
It was very good!
Pure jazz
Grooovyyyy
No album in the top 100 (except maybe the Can albums) makes me feel as out of my depth while still enjoying it. Even me, a complete noob when it comes to third stream and more technically complex jazz, can admit this is an extremely well composed and performed record. Not much more I can say about it. 8/10
Pretty enjoyable jazz. I like the spanish touches, and the conceit of structuring it as a ballet, which I am told rather than knew - ie how tf is a ballet structured?
At times swinging, at times melodic, and at times experimental. Mingus was always pushing the limits of jazz.
Gotta love some nice, moody jazz.
Favorite Track: Track A - Solo Dancer
Really good jazz, I don’t know much about jazz but I like this
No idea how to rate this one!! There was the occasional passage I really liked but mostly my ears suffered considerable pain. But then it all seemed to come together in a mad, frantic, final track.
This was quite good.
what a firework! crazy! nothing to listen to all day, that's for sure. but it's a monumental album that alludes to the film noir genre.
Great great album, I spun it twice in a row. It flows impressively.
I enjoyed how the music was constantly shifting, always staying interesting instead of dwelling on a single idea for too long and becoming stale. I liked this significantly more than I expected. Very good background music that still stays entertaining
Uff findi sehr geil. Avant-garde isch für mich immer mega hit or miss und da isch en hit. Gib jetz mol nur e vieri, welli nöd en lieblingteil gha han woni jezz grad nomol wür lose
chaarlie! sötti scho lang mol würkli lose. ok lesgo. es isch glaub alles dure arrangiert? und etz isch irgendwenn sax solo und s isch extreeeem geil. zweite track mega en cartoon bum bum type beat. huere nervös aber finds etz no cool. hahaha de trompet redet basically. ok ha noglese es isch alles durekomponiert da isch craaaazy. finds sehr cool, sehr avantgarde aber es swingt. track C mega klavier okay aber s het irgendwie theme? OH GITARRE SPANIE TIME?? i check nöd wa lauft. me ghlöt zum teil dass mit overdubs gschafft worde isch aber da isch okay bi 1963. de schluss vo track C findi etz gommemode geil de schnell 3/4 swing isch sooo hard und es knarzt alles. letste song isch d hälfti vom album und etz wird wieder gitarre gspielt. afang scho geil mit bass. de guy cha gitärrele und de mingus spielt geeeil bass. ha s gfühl es isch de letst song ich mues etz e bewertig geh. aber nai s isch no mega viel musig. de piano interlude isch insane geil gsi und d melodie jetz nocher aaau. nomel nur piano. uuuh und denn wieder dissonanze und ballade tempo jazz time seehr geil. es erwatschlet sich immer e höcheri bewertig. bi öpe 13-14 minute wirds immer wieder schneller und langsamer und isch zt sehr 20er johr jazz finds geeeil
some of these old jazz albums are better than others but none of them are ever not good
Pretty amazing jazz. A wonderful cacophony.
Very cool, heard of Mingus but never listened
Early modern jazz at its finest. There’s a lot going on with some discordant notes and such, but it still feels mostly musical for my untrained ears.
4.5/5
Jazz at its finest
Из всех больших джаз-альбомов на rym, этот мне нравится, наверное, больше всего. Лучшая песня - Trio and Group Dancers.
Jazz Club! The album is great… really great. Not really my genre of music to put on casually - but I really do appreciate the musicianship and composition. It just gives a great relaxed vibe perfect for working in the background.
- Auch wieder was für verrauchte Whisky-Bars - Tendiere wieder ähnlich wie bei anderen Jazz Werken mit einer drei zu bewerten. Diese Platte hat mich aber wesentlich mehr mitgenommen. - War einfach ein bisschen mitreißender, roher und für mich greifbarer 3,75/5
I’m rarely disappointed at the jazz offerings here. Mingus added a varied and melodic soundtrack to my walk through Mahatma-Gandhi park.
surprisingly intriguing
I’m not quite sure if I’m ready for experimental jazz - I think I enjoyed it but it also filled me with dread. I also want to go watch some film noir now for some reason.
Mingus ... I've listened to some of his music before, it's been a while. This was a good experience. Like a movie soundtrack sometimes, not so crazy. I'll come back to this one, and try more of Charlie Mingus in the future.
One of the better jazz albums on this list. Very approachable, telling a cohesive story, with plenty of surprises along the way (spanish guitar, for example). I'm not an expert, but I think this album might be a good starting point for future jazz enthusiasts.
would listen again to digest it more. liked it tho. Want to listen to some of his other stuff too.
Enjoyed every minute. Great jazz album
Divisive, noisy, different
This is just on the good side of the fuzzy edge of what I can enjoy of this style of jazz. It’s dramatic and visual (or maybe I was just envisioning scenes based on “dance” and the album title) and interesting.
heard this before favorite tracks: all
Impressssive
I enjoyed it
9/10. It's a really innovative jazz album. Totally excellent. :)
It's very good, if not a bit screechy in it's more frantic moments
It's dirty and I love it
I don’t know a lot about jazz. This was the least chaotic jazz experience I’ve had on this journey and I liked it. Really smooth, nothing jarring or abrupt. It certainly earned its spot on the list.
Perhaps my favorite Mingus album. Great to revisit.
Because it's jazz, but it's very hard for me. Although I detect moments that I love...
Funkin' awesome jazz. I like it.
I liked the energy in the album, the first track started off poorly for my ears, but built into something I really enjoyed.
That last track got me through most of a 20 mile drive to work!
Not my usual genre, but bloody brilliant!
I don’t often reach for jazz but when I come upon it and it’s good, I deeply appreciate it. This included.
A great listen
Passionate, vibrant and beautiful. Mingus has always been a favorite of mine and this record reminded me of that. It’s like he makes the instruments speak words. The mood is cool, sultry and invigorating. I wish I could have been alive to see him and his band perform live in their prime. What a virtuoso.
3.5 stars rounded up.
This is an album of ambition, contradictions, and competing influences. Jazz synthesized with classical, with some avant-garde experimentalism on top. Composition with improvisation. Tight and organized with freedom and expression. Makes use of a big band to make some experimental sound, with the instruments interacting in a unique way. Certainly an interesting album that I need some time to sit with. My first listen wasn’t super impressive, while my second listen started to come around. Not sure that many melodies will get stuck in my head but it makes me want to do a silly dance.
good stuff
jazzy
Shit freaks me out but slightly more groove to bitches brew
Very cool. Can totally see why he was influential. The sound is big and dark and serious
Feels like a bit of a forefather to Kamasi Washington. Melodic with a healthy dose of cacophony; definitely not something I'd put on for a quiet evening. Complex in a way that makes me want to listen again and decipher more.
Smooth jazzy feel with deep horns
Fun. Jazz...melts into the background.
Essentially it's one track with 4 movements, so if I like one track I like 100% of the tracks on the album. Does that make it automatically 5 stars? It's a totally enjoyable jam, nice noir feeling.
Very cool, so jazzy and bouncy. Was kind of cacophonous in places, but I didn't mind too much because it was just bopping and jiving and was fun. It was a short album, but I don't know if so much musical information for too long would be tolerable anyway. Three stars.
This is wild. It's organized chaos. I'm guessing that Miles Davis was influenced by this when he created Bitches Brew. I know Mingus' music, but didnt know this album. It was an interesting listen. These days it's rare to hear orchestrated jazz like this. I kept thinking "How did he write and arrange this?" as I was listening. I'm sure that the next time I hear this I'll appreciate it a lot more.
This album is working on all levels. Every instrument is played to perfection and just sounds amazing. It is on the shorter side but makes up for it with some amazing music.