Reviews (page 8 of 14)
I like some jazz, but I did not care for most of this album. It sounds too unstructured, I guess avant-garde. I do appreciate that what is here is intentional and a lot of work went into making it sound that way. You would probably need to be a bigger jazz fan than me to fully appreciate it.
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.
I really tried to find the artistic side of this album and see a way to enjoy it, but with all the respect in my heart this just felt like a pure cacophony of noise lol. It definitely feels like the soundtrack for any manic pixie dream girl of the late 50’s early 60’s. Mad respect to Mingus but just not my style.
Oof - not for me.
Damn I need a hit of whatever he is smoking. That may of helped me get through this.
Maybe a tad too abstract for my musical taste.
Pleasant jazz
No private session used for Spotify. I listened to this album twice, trying to get into. I like some jazz, but this goes a bit off the rails for me, it's too eclectic and admittedly over my head.
Some great bonery, brew kinda vibes, track c fire
Track A..oh, so this is that messy crunchy jazz… it’s giving.. anxiety. Track B- started off sexy, turned into a train wreck. Track C- getting nicer, made me think of Fun happy magical forests… and we got towards the end and it sounds like that forest is on fire and all of the fun creatures are dying…. Oh… I just started looking at the full song titles… the sound makes sense for what is happening. Mode D- more of the same… nit really for me but I appreciate it.
Interesting Jazz but not my thing
A very interesting album. For long stretches, I also liked it very much. However, there were also more difficult parts that I didn't get on with so well. The album is certainly very good, but I probably won't listen to it again soon. 3/5
didnt enjoy this.
This was super fun! I really liked this one. Listened to it probably 3 times.
Not for me
Thoroughly weird avant-garde jazz.
Individually it works but struggled as an album
Enjoyable! Good background music for working.
OK, so this one is a little "out there." I like Mingus but based on my criteria of will I listen to this again, I have to say, no. I hate to do that for my first jazz review.
The saving grace was the sweet sexphone
I enjoyed this. Quite an accessible dive into jazz, and pleasant to boot.
Wasn’t bad. Jazz is new to me. Excited to get more. Probably worth a higher rating then I’m gonna give it.
This wasn't as bad as expected. Behind the tender dissonances some melodies were to be detected. Surely innovative at the time of making. However, nothing I'm going to return to.
awesome
Very nice
I mean this with all sincerity: FUCK jazz Sadly I can’t rate lower than 1
Improv jazz is regrettably not my thing, so while each track starts off nice, it dissolves into jazzy mess not long after. To each their own.
I don’t know much about jazz but I know this album has a very cool vibe. When I listen to this it makes everything going on around me feel more interesting.
Festive and pretty at the same time without becoming a giant soup of notes and noises. Pretty good!
Great stuff
Wouldn’t say this is bad but nothing resonated with me, could listen to this in background but wouldn’t actively choose it. Still hoping for a jazz album that will make sense to me.
boring but I get the greatness
This challenge has not been kind to me this weekend. First, Super Furry Animals—and now, more jazz. Unfortunately, this album felt like dull background music. The tracks blended together so seamlessly that I struggled to tell when one ended and another began. Track 3, in particular, stood out—but not in a good way. It had an odd, 1950s Disney-esque vibe that felt completely out of place. Very bizarre. I can’t help but wonder how many more jazz or swing albums I’ll have to endure. Favorite track: None stood out enough to pick. Least favorite track: Track 3, without a doubt. Album artwork: Nothing noteworthy to mention.
THINKIN: Jazzy horns. PERSONALLY: Still not a Jazz guy but I love his hat. ALT TITLE: The Black Lady and the Sinner Saint
una puta obra de arte, de aquí uno puedo escuchar el sonido propio del jazz: los ritmos libres, la melodía que deambula en un centro porque aquí el caos no es desornado; todo lo contrario, es una tormenta de medianoche en un puerto de new orleans.
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.
does anyone else remember that SNL promo where James Austin Johnson plays bob Dylan and he misremembers musical guest Chappell roan as Charles Mingus. funny stuff. Anyways this is a fantastic album. starting to get a real love for jazz through this project which I 'preciate. Almost makes up for how many mediocre albums it pushes <3
This was a very interesting listen. I found the complex, layered jazz to be so attention-catching. It wasn’t background music, it was music that made you listen hard to it. I loved the unexpected tempo changes and how the same melodic lines at different tempos gave such different vibes. I also liked the individual instrument solos including the flute and out of left field Spanish guitar. I finally understanding the term “crooning trumpet.” It sounded so much like a human voice I had to stop and make sure I wasn’t heaeing an actual voice!
Álbum de jazz. Não é mt a minha praia, mas os caras parecem ser super virtuosos.
The gulf between how much I wanted to like this and how much I actually liked this was very wide. It was too chaotic and noisy for me. There are some runs I really liked, but I just couldn't get into this. I feel like a disappointment for not liking it.
Amazing 4/5
I enjoyed having this on as I was getting ready for work.
Very unique and singular. Sounds like manic mood swings interpreted through jazz. Excellent album
Good? Dunno but I didn’t hate it like most jazz
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.
Some interesting stuff going on here and in part quite enjoyable.
Bingus
exciting, nasty, cluttered jazz 8/10
I think I’m reaching my limit for my tolerance of jazz. It feels like every time I get a jazz album, it goes into one ear and out the other. Granted, I think that the problem is that all of the jazz I got has come from the 50’s and 60’s. But outside of Miles Davis and Bill Evans, none of them have been anything of note. This one, however, pushed me off the edge. Half of this just felt either the worst New Year’s party you ever attended or a recital of people slamming on their instruments. Can I get an album with actual fucking music and not 40 minutes of random jazz music that goes for 6 minutes a pop (or in the final track, nearly 20?!) I swear to god every time the generator gives me a jazz album, it feels like a nothing album. I get nothing from them, and this might be the worst I got. Had it not been for some select moments, this might have become a part of my 1-rated albums. Favorite track: Track C- Group Dancers (it was the most coherent) Other hits: nothing
This is my classical music.
Complex and beautiful.
That might be one of the best jazz albums I’ve ever heard. Hell, that might be one of the best albums I’ve ever heard, full stop.
I don't think I understand the genre.
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.
This is such an unusual and striking, yet beautiful and deeply moving album... just brilliance. The kind of music that makes you stop what you doing and demands your full attention to intently listen and take it in. Jazz par excellence 10/10
first song in and I love this already. This is gonna be good.
Groovy
1,5/5
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 think I've ever heard of Charles Mingus before. Granted, I'm not very well versed when it comes to jazz music, so take that with a grain of salt. I haven't found a jazz album on this list that really resonates with me yet, but I'm hoping that this will be the first one! I didn't enjoy this in the way that I was hoping to, but this was still a fine album. I did enjoy the brass and reed instrument arrangements on this album, and this album felt to me as if those instruments were what drove the overall sound. The double bass playing was really good too, but my favorite part was the flute playing on Track C. That flute arrangement was absolutely fantastic, and I was delighted when it popped back up on the medley on the second side of the album. Other than that, I don't have much to say on this album, but it was a nice listening experience overall.
The GOAT. No jazz album even comes close.
I liked the last track with the Spanish guitar not really a good album for easy listening. Great for dancing in the 50s
I can appreciate it's very technically skilled but it wasn't particularly enjoyable for me to listen to - too many notes :P
Lots of jazz. And I love jazz. But this jazz is a little stressful!
When someone says "experimental jazz", this is the sound I imagine. I had a headache while listening to this and the music did not improve it.
Lively.
Very unsettling jazz. It's different from your typical jazz records. But pretty cool.
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.
Amazing jazz album! Didnt have to "try" to like it. Great work vibes.
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
Just not my thing. Nice but wouldn't listen to
YES!!! 5
-ok so this was a very interesting album bc no singing -idt i would relisten to it but it was interesting to listen to once -it had some funky random changes which surprised me sometimes
MA BOIII MINGUS HELL YEAH
I’m not the biggest Jazz fan. This was a challenging listen in parts but there was some good in here too.
Not my bag
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!
This was already one of my favorites so yeah obvs it’s getting a 5
still the best jazz album ever...nothing quite like it
I guess I'm not a big Jazz guy cause this did nothing for me. I'd put it on for some background music but that's about it.
Not for me
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.
So I had a day in the oh so pleasant company of Charles Mingus. I started with this album, which I had never heard before, and adored it. It's going to get 5 stars. I had to listen to it a few times to let it all sink in properly. Then I went to try out "MIngus Ah Um", as many people had said it was more accessible. I liked it, but nowhere near as much as "The Black Saint...". It was a little too light for my liking. I would have probably given it 4 stars. I used to hate jazz, seeing it as pretentious music with a lot of gatekeeping and a bad reputation. I gave a few albums a try when I was in my early 20s and found them all annoying to listen to. Something must have changed over the years, as now I find myself drawn to jazz that I would have despised in my youth.
I don't think I really understand this album but I can tell that it's probably a masterpiece. I want to come back to this one and fully appreciate it someday
If jazz is your thing, you'll like it.
Jazz + classical (elements of African and Spanish themes), 11-piece band, third stream, avant-garde jazz. Mingus: wrote a ballet, "ethnic folk-dance music". Favourites: all.
Unsettling. 5 stars.
This is good jazz.
When do they stop tuning the instruments and play the music? I'm kidding, sort of - but this was all over the place, scattered, discordant. I generally really love jazz as a genre, but this was too experimental and chaotic for me.
5/10
This album was a nice surprise. I am a bit embarrassed thar as a jazz lover I had not heard this recording. It was not what I expected from Charles Mingus. I especially liked the range of instrumentation and the latin/Spanish guitar that appeared occasionally.
Noch nie gehört, und cool! :-D
Actually insane
Trumpet jazz. Alright, not particularly fond of so much trumpet but it was played well
3rd time this week I've grown a 4.5/5 album I've already heard
Jazzy jazz jazz
This was not for me. I like jazz but this felt like every song started out smooth and nice but built into a sonic cacophony of too many instruments trying to play over each other in a clash to be the loudest. Maybe I'm missing something but listening to this with a coworker they said it sounded like everyone warming up on their instruments. For me I liken it to the sonic embodiment of a migraine.
Combination if different styles of jazz, Spanish guitar was surprising
as good as it gets. embraces dissonance without using it as a crutch. highly dramatic. perfect argument for the album (as opposed to individual tracks) as the unit of art. motifs emerge, withdraw, and then cacophonously barge in again totally transformed, overlapping across tracks. extracts a great deal of personality from the instrumentation, at time evoking resigned anguish, other times triumphant rebellion. has more compelling narrative structure than most lyrical "concept albums" explicitly telling a story. horns go hard. best jazz album of all time.
so good wow
Complete banger. Every instrument has so much character. Second half of Track D is an emotionally stirring journey.
All that jazz. The morning commute wasn't a great spot to give this album what it probably needed. I'm not a jazz guy so this wasn't my cup of tea.
I don't like jazz. But I like the occasional avant garde music mixed with classical and folk. This is a record to listen concentrated and analyze all the elements that play there.
Fan. Tas. Tic. I’ve always liked anything I’ve heard by Mingus, but was unaware of this. It is orchestral in its movement. So much more than jazz. The first half I listened to driving, the second half through ear buds. I have to go back and relisten so I can more thoroughly enjoy the whole thing. I highly recommend you do yourself a favor and immerse yourself in this through headphones, or at least just focus on this in a room with no other distractions. Enthusiastic two thumbs up.
6/10 Funny one this, lots of contradictions. Old fashioned and avant garde Trumpet that was both silly and cool Really melodic and really difficult I liked it and didn’t like it Best: Track B
Jazz
Not big on jazz but I'm grateful for this project making me listen to this album. It's a stunning project with every instrument being just perfect
Typically when considering the greatest jazz albums of all time, the list is topped by Miles' Kind of Blue and Coltrane's A Love Supreme, while The Black Saint And The Sinner is usually positioned somewhere in the second tier. Black Saint is an excellent expresssion of Mingus' genius, though personally I think there are a few of his other albums that are a bit more accessible (Mingus Ah Um, Tijuana Moods).
Jeezo, that would drive you up the fucking wall !
Dieses Album ist ein monumentales Beispiel für die kreative Kraft des Jazz. Mit seiner Mischung aus Komplexität, Intensität und Innovation bleibt es ein unverzichtbarer Klassiker, der sowohl für Jazz-Liebhaber als auch für Neueinsteiger eine lohnenswerte Entdeckung ist.
There were definitely a lot of ummm... choices... that were made
I like quite a bit of jazz. This isn't great for me. That's just a stylistic preference. It's a really good album. If you're into that kind of freeform music for the night and then it's perfect.
A frantic and furious jazz ballet, this paired perfectly with my attempt to digest a day's worth of institutionalized violence, oppression, and injustice.
I'm sure that the Avant-garde jazz folks love this album. I can tell the musicians are talented, but.... It sounds like a bunch of folks on stage just noodling away with their instruments. I liked the couple of bits of flamenco guitar in there, but that was an accent on one piece, not even enough to say it made up a song. For me, 1/5. Please, no more jazz.
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.
Brilliant but it is like a forerunner to Heavy Metal fast noise My fave was the drumming ! What a pace
Buen disco de jazz teniendo en cuenta el año de grabación.
Jazzy 💃
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
Verry artfull jazz album. If you have time enough to listen carefully, its wonderfull. Maybe somthing for specialists.
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
Meh. Not my thing
Moody, subtle. An easier listen then most jazz
Enjoyed this. Reminded me a bit of some of the jazz in the Andy Griffith Show?
I don't hate Jazz, I just don't really like it...
just one of the most unhinged and amazing accomplishments in the history of music. combines so many styles but always feels so natural and singular that it never comes across as one bit imitation or pastiche...mingus and co just discovered a piece that could only exist in exactly this form. the main developing motif sounds like breathing in and out with various degrees of effort, a fitting image for a record that goes so many strange places in search of pure expressionism. gets more and more emotional every listen...everyone is putting in everything they got. some of the most passionate art thats been made in any medium
own
Very nice.
I'm as uncultured as ultra mega processed milk. God I hated this.
No me gusta el jazz, puede que sea uno de los motivos por los que no entiendo el disco. No suena bien en mis oídos, al menos de momento... imagino que con más escuchas podré apreciarlo mejor.
Torn on this album. This kind of jazz is not really my taste. All notes playing everything different. But in my mind this works great as a visual trip by just using the name of the album, song titles and music to fill in the blanks. If there was an accompanying film then I would be able to really appreciate it more. Another note is that there are some great rhythms in here that could be sampled.
Jazz is cool. This is a bit cacophonous.
- ART - .... another one I'm just not qualified to "rate". -
mingus
Pure chaos. At least that's why I heard. Luckily, I like chaos.
3.4
With jazz, it’s always Mingus, Mingus, Mingus
not really my type of jazz but still nice
Really good jazz :)
100% jazz
Gives me Gen 4 Pokemon vibes. Jazzy.
Better than the miles Davis album.
I didn't hate it, but I barely made it through the album.
I don't get it. It's like no one told these guys they're a band and they're just out there playing 4 separate songs at once. There's seconds that sound like music and then it goes back to noise. Maybe I'm just too dumb to get it.
A little jazz is nice in the winter
Solid Jazz album. A bit disjointed at the start, but that’s kind of to be expected from jazz. The later songs made me feel like I was watching an old timey black & white detective movie, where the smoke show blonde walks in on the half drunk private eye pleading him to take her case then he mumbles something about not working for no dames before an inner monologue starts in about how he needs the money to pay off Franky Fingers or some shit. 🕵🏻♂️💃🥃
Call me a dolt if you must, but I just don't really get it.
I can't stand Jazz...unfortunately (for me)...it was a bit of a torture to listen the full album...
Good but more jazzy than I like
I’m not a big fan of jazz
I just can't get into the jazz jams on this one. 2/5
Puh
Jazz halt
Didn’t love it but certainly appreciated it.
I'm a jazz troglodyte, but I loved this album from my 1st time hearing it some years ago in college. It feels like everything I'd ever hoped for jazz to be. Simultaneously dark, joyful, catchy, experimental, powerful, and subtle. it works, all of it.
I am surprised that I didn't know him as well as his contemporaries such as Duke Ellington, and Charlie Parker. Great album.
4 stars. I like this one.
Still don't love jazz, but it was alright.
Η αληθεια ειναι οτι δεν ενιωσα τιποτα ενδιαφερον να συμβαινει αυτα τα 37 λεπτα. Ειμαι ομως φαν της jazz μουσικης και του σαξοφωνου ωστε να αποφυγει το 1/5.
What the jazz...
WOW what a ride.....maybe a bit too long for my tastes. Jazz aint for everyone.
its good, but it's a little chaotic for me. perhaps with multiple listens it would settle in.
I just reached track c and oh my God.
Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest albums ever made. This album is so accessible to those less experienced with jazz can still appreciate it, but at the same time breaks so much ground and is immensely creative. The introduction of an acoustic guitar half way through the album is amazing, giving it a more latin feel in its latter half, and having an instrumenta a lot less common within the genre.
Wanted to get into it more but wasn't one of the jazz albums that grabbed me. May relisten after a decent break and see if I can latch on to anything here.
Not my thing but it was good for what it was
2.5 relative to classic albums I expect on the 1001 albums list.
Not the biggest jazz fan BUT this was quite nice, especially the last track and knowing that it was composed for a ballet.
Sehr spannend!
Experimental Jazz. Experiment failed in an overbearing, dissonant, disturbing manner.
Not really my preferred style of jazz but interesting enough.
Great album!
Always been a fan
Maybe it's my bias as a try-hard bass player, but I loved this. That said, it's definitely an album that I would be reluctant to recommend to anyone who I didn't know already liked jazz.
Too much jazz for me
I think I've come to realise that jazz albums just aren't going to get above a 4. Sorry. This is good. Like experimental jazz good. But it's not so aligned with my own enjoyment buttons that I can really truly love it.
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
This album is awe inspiring and is thrilling to listen to. Mingus is a great composer and I felt like each movement really told a story. Wish the list had more stuff like this.
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.
Learned today that experimental jazz is definitely not my thing. From a talent angle though, this was definitely impressive.
Aw hall nah prog jazz??
Blind album and artist. Didn't hate it. Want ecstatic about it. It's jazz to me.
Avant-garde jazz. Experimental y caótico. No me ha gustado. Un 2.
Creo que iba tocando una nota sin tener en cuenta la nota anterior.
Not for me
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.
Too improvisational for my liking
It’s jazz. And if you’ve listened to one jazz album, you’ve listened to them all. Okay, maybe not, but you have listened to a majority of them. And this falls into that majority.
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'm afraid I can't tell if this is good or not; I am largely resigned to the fact that I don't have a good ear for jazz. I was fine with this on the first track, but couldn't wait for it to be over by the end.
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
There's something here to love but I can't quite find it. It's a bunch of people blowing on horns. What can I say, I don't love jazz.
Just not for me. I need more structure in my music.
Twee keer jazz achter elkaar, waarbij in dit geval het metertje de verkeerde kant uitslaat. Dit is het verkeerde type jazz. Drukke 'kijk-eens-wat-ik-kan' jazz. Nog niet het meest extreme voorbeeld van dit soort jazz op deze lijst, maar ik word hier al niet zo heel blij van. Die derde track is nog wel aardig, als er opeens een Spaans gitaartje bij wordt getoverd. Helaas vliegt ook op die track de boel een klein beetje uit de bocht. Laatste track gaat ellenlang door. Ik vind dit album niet verschrikkelijk-verschrikkelijk, maar het is ook niet leuk-leuk. Dus ik hou het op een meh-meh.
Bit unsettling but not too much to not want to listen to it.
MINGUS
Moody, feels like the score to a surrealist film noir.
Boring old big band jazz. Muffled trumpet
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.
Favorite Mingus.
Meh
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is an experimental jazz composition from the 60s. Interesting uses of the instruments here - for example, sometimes the brass sounds like it's trying to imitate speech or vocals. I didn't get a whole lot of mileage out of it, but it's clearly quite good.
dying elephant music
I do love to circle back on some jazz every once in a while and this was a welcome day for it. Very enjoyable!
Track C was the best. But I can’t appreciate jazz
A film noir freak out, this is THE album to listen to while tailing some dame and slipping into a hallucinatory mental breakdown.
I always find Mingus a bit "complicated" and I seldom put on an album by him. This one, I did not know. But a nice and great listening. Very clearly a 5 here!
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.
Not my jam.
I really really don't like jazz
Is this good jazz or bad jazz? It's so hard to tell sometimes. Plus this album toes the line by being pretty energetic and boisterous. Overall, I liked it though. So I'm going to say it's good jazz.
Bardzo fajne. Zupełnie nie znam się na jazzie, ale brzmi autentycznie, z głębi serca i nie od linijki, ale tak na wyczucie. 4/5
I had it on repeat for hours
Really fun concept album, it was a little hard to get into until track B, but I would probably listen again. Like “Sketches of Spain” Mingus demonstrates talent but it’s not exactly catchy.
Dramatic and interesting, but kind of anxiety-inducing. Frenetic.
No. 295/1001 Tack A - Solo Dancer 2/5 Track B - Duete Solo Dancers 2/5 Track C - Group Dancers 2/5 Medley: Mode D-Trio and Group Dancers 2/5 Average: 2,0 Just not something I ever see myself listening to.
I can defo see and understand the attraction to this album and its brilliance. Its just not really for me!
Buns
I don't really "understand" jazz. This album isn't catchy. It isn't memorable. I couldn't even hum a bar of it. And yet, it's great. You can listen intently, concentrating on each instrument, or you can put it on as background music. Wonderful stuff either way.
I had listened to this a couple of times before and enjoyed it, but never really absorbed it until now. It's not really like any other jazz I've heard before, and is an interesting blend of styles. It is a bit Avant-garde, but not in an off putting way. Very refreshing in general, and I can see how it might work as a ballet. Very emotional and dramatic, with a nice bit of resolution in the end.
General impression: visionary and amazing Detailed review: I’ll be coming back to this for sure. I’m very impressed and a little bowled over by the experience of listening to this album. It’s got these natural swells of energy, and one minute it sounds very composed and the next minute it’s off on some improvisatory flight. Definitely needs more listens to be fully digested, but I’ve heard enough to confidently give this bad boy a 5. Deeper thoughts (context): Score: 5 Number of albums left to review: 943 Number of albums from the list I’d consider “must-listens”: 35 (including this one) Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 23
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.
I'm a fan of most Jazz, but I'm not sure about Charles Mingus? The music is intense and unsettled me at times and made my brain feel crazily dizzy and confused that was on the brink of trying my patience. To listen to long tracks, I need to be in a proper state of mind and this free expressive jazz, though incredibly mesmerizing, had me feeling this music is way out of my league and I definitely don't understand it the way I should. Glad I listened and will be back after I educate myself with more jazz basics.
Hard to digest but glad I've listened to it. Will listen to it some more and this will probably grow on me
Awesomness. Frogs at a waltz on vespa scooters. And then cats in pajamas enter from the left. Totally unexpected and amazing.
I like Mingus.
I don't know what I was expecting from Charles Mingus but this was better
jazz. innocuo.
This is heavy music--there's a lot going on here, and I don't think this is a jazz album to drop in the middle of a broader range of styles and say, "Here, this one is one of the best." It may be, but it's for hardcore jazzheads. I think "Mingus Ah Um" or "Mingus Plays Piano" is better for the general listener to get familiar with Mingus. This would be better suited for "1001 Jazz Albums To Hear Before You Die." Great album? Probably. Over my head? Definitely. 3/5, just because our esteemed editors haven't read the room. Including this album is just pretentious or lazy; not sure which. 3⭐️
Jazz all sounds like one long elevator song to me. But this one was alright background.
Not for me. Sorry
I found this fairly compelling, as jazz goes. It's got a good chaotic energy that elevates it above background music and a broad range of sounds I wasn't expecting - sleazy downtown club vibes, vaudeville style flute, even flamenco guitar. Plus it seems there might be some kind of narrative that runs through it...? So, high marks for scope and ambition. For all that it's not something I can see myself revisiting.
Another jazz classic, and this one landed nicely on a Sunday to help kick off those chill Sunday vibes I needed. Really enjoyed the blending of some other music styles in to this album, yet still keeping that Mingus’ feel. I needed this as lately I’ve had a lot of middling albums and duds.
not the biggest jazz fan but if i was listening to this and sipping a g+t at a bar, this would be a vibe
SBAM
much affection as i afford it, the big band jazz orchestra always felt wasted playing swing and 78 rpm single standards. therefore, using the thick sound of big band to make something that never feels simply pleasant, but challenging and complex, works like a cheat code on me. still, my only complaint is that, although the sound and direction of the thing is beautiful, as a ballet, it feels a bit lacking by having no choreography to go along with it. i know people make their own to go along and perform it, but i think the only thing keeping this from being an all timer is not seeing one of those performances live. who knows. maybe someone in Colorado will dare to and i'll revisit this with the proper idea of how one would move to it. God knows i'd embarrass myself if i tried.
didnt listen
The Spanish guitar is very spicy. Wonderful music to work to. The horns are fierce too. Fav Track: Medley: Mode D-Trio and Group Dancers/Mode E-Single Solos and Group Dance/ModeF-Group and Solo Dance
Felt like a Solo Dancer on a stage in an empty theater listening to this.
Not my favorite jazz album but still really cool!
220/1001 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
# Playlist track - Track A - Solo Dancer # Notes - This is hard to hear. It commands so much attention, and it keeps surprising you, bringing something new and changing course in the last minute. All the time! - You can either take that as a positive or a negative, but this is one hell of a ride. It was a bit exhausting to me, personally, especially the last track, that clocks out at almost 20 minutes. - An interesting experience, but one that I won't repeat soon.
Decent. Pleased I listened to it, I wouldn’t have done without your suggestion.
Great jazz album, interesting mix of unsettling and soothing.
Experimental jazz that isn’t outright cacophonous. I probably owe this at least one more listen.
4 maybe 5
so anxiety provoking. hard to deny the talent but a tough listen.
I like Jazz, love jazz, and this is supposed to be “the” greatest Jazz - but it left me feeling a little disjointed.
I’ve enjoyed some Mingus albums in the past, but this just seemed like a lot of noise.
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is a 1963 studio album from Charles Mingus. Mingus releases an extensive list of recordings, and The Black Saint is regarded as one of his best, and one of the greatest jazz albums ever recorded. This work was composed as a ballet, and was written for the "big band" format that Mingus was performing and recording with in the early 60s. This is Mingus' anguished and joyful picture of the world, told through his rich, textured compositions.
01) Track A – Solo Dancer - 4,0 02) Track B – Duet Solo Dancers - 3,5 03) Track C – Group Dancers - 3,0 04) Mode D – Trio and Group Dancers Mode E – Single Solos and Group Dance Mode F – Group and Solo Dance - 2,0 TOTAL: 3,13 (31/100)
#2: I normally don’t expose myself to jazz but rather enjoy it when I do. This album was a great listen for me. I like that it’s not too long and it has enough variation between tracks to give me some break between listening. The ensemble of instruments over the four tracks adds a layer of character to each track that makes them unique to each other. One track you have a little guitar, some you have flute and piano. It really is a great array of sound. Track D seemed like a great culmination of the previous tracks, but that could just be me guessing. Would definitely like to add this one to my vinyl collection and want to hear more jazz like this.
How does rubbish like this sell? All the jazz heads will sneer at my lack of sophistication, but the emperor still has no clothes. This is trash. It's pointless. There's the occasional melodic bit, but those are lifted from elsewhere. It's mainly just people playing random snatches of music, or imitating sirens or the like. The musicians are clearly good, but what a waste of their talent.
11/03 yeah this is very cool!
The vibiest shit I ever heard.
I always like when jazz pops up on this list and this was no exception.
I really enjoyed this one, but I’ll admit it might be a lot to take in if you’re not sure what you’re getting into. It’s avant-garde jazz at its best, with a hint of Spanish flair and layers that pull from all sorts of influences. It’s almost like each layer has a mind of its own, yet somehow it all comes together perfectly.
Seems like I just love all Jazz. This was another cool one. Keep em coming
Considering I don’t really like jazz this was pretty nice. Especially liked the end of track C and the repeated motifs throughout the album.
Pretty enjoyable as a modern jazz album, not really sure why they chose this one over any of his others but not bad
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.
#388. More annoying jazz. 2/5: jazz Song added to playlist: Track C- Group Dancers [(Soul Fusion) Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries] I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
If you didn't give this album five stars I'm not sure this whole music reviewing lark is for you.
I love this album. One of Mingus's two masterpieces. You need the right setting for it, but the single-take approach is awesome.
Enjoyed this album, had a different jazz vibe
Me pareció bastante aburrido. Solo le encontré un poco de disfrute mientras manejaba por un pueblito por el Olympic National Park, donde podría haber sido una ambientación de una escena de una película.
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
This is the jazz equivalent of that awful Adam Sandler film where everyone talks over each other constantly and the whole thing is stressful. It sounds like a random cacophony created by people who are presumably actually really good at their instruments. Why not just write something coherent? I dunno. There’s something somewhat cool about it but I just didn’t enjoy listening to it and I doubt I will again.
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
could i write poetry to this? n
I like a lot of Mingus, especially the song Moanin, and the album Mingus ah um. This one is just too "experimental" for me. I found the whole thing irritating.
Hmm, I have few Mingus albums and love them, but this one was a challenge to listen to.
This was a challenge for sure. I kept absolutely despising it and then all of a sudden it would be absolutely beautiful and then it would leak back into being a shocking moment of noodling. It's like they're taken the post war music that I love and over jazzed the hell out of it
Some wild jazz
Jazz, 1963 -> 2
a 3 1/2, pleasant listen that alludes mood and melancoly.
I don't think I'm smart enough to fully appreciate this. 3/5
Well. This is fucking incredible. Never listened to Mingus and I have no idea why. The notes in the book are correct, this certainly announces itself from the very opening bars. Absolutely tremendous stuff. This is the jazz I want. I'll be having a good old dig through his discography. Oh god, it's just magnificent, from the off right to the very end. Absolutely one of the very best albums I've heard out of the nearly 900 I've got through here. Music for the soul.
Not bad. I was picturing a bunch of ballerina doing there own interpretive dance to this and it being rather chaotic, while Lee Marvin runs around the stage in a panic dressed like a 1930s P.I. Come to think of it, I'd probably watch that movie.
jazzy
I usually like jazz, but this just sounds like a bunch of noise
i'm not going to sit here and pretend like mr. mingus isn't extremely talented. this is clearly an expert musician with a well-honed craft. but once again we must return to how i personally felt about it. it felt like i was being chased by the physical manifestation of anxiety through a haunted forest. 40 minutes of stress. if that was the intention, he succeeded wildly. but for lil ol' me just trying to do my Spreadsheet Job, it was unpleasant. i did like the spanish guitar tho.
man, i really WANT to like some of this more esoteric jazz on this list but i just can't crack this nut. and i have a music degree for pete's sake. parts of this sounded good and swingy, particularly the middle of track B, but for each exciting and captivating section of these songs, there was an equal and opposite section of unintelligible cacophony... mingus' third law. favorites: track b - duete solo dancers
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.
Once again jazz does nothing for me.
Gotta love some nice, moody jazz.