Mingus Plays Piano

1. Myself When I Am Real

2. I Can't Get Started

3. Body and Soul

4. Roland Kirk's Message

5. Memories of You

6. She's Just Miss Popular Hybird

7. Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues

8. Meditations for Moses

9. Old Portrait

10. I'm Getting Sentimental over You

11. Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems and Folklore

Mingus Plays Piano,Charles Mingus,Grp Records,Avant-Garde Jazz,Jazz,Pop,Post-Bop

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Average customer rating: The Most Hauntingly Beautiful Album I Own Mingus Alone... A personal favorite. MINGUS FINGUS!! Master Bassist is an Excellent Pianist!! Not the equal

Mingus Plays Piano Charles Mingus Manufacturer: Grp Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music GRP | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady Mingus Dynasty Pre-Bird The Great Concert of Charles Mingus ASIN: B000003N9C Release Date: 1997-03-25

Tracks:

1. Myself When I Am Real
2. I Can't Get Started
3. Body And Soul
4. Roland Kirk's Message
5. Memories Of You
6. She's Just Miss Popular Hybrid
7. Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues
8. Meditations For Moses
9. Old Portrait
10. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
11. Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems And Folklore

Customer Reviews:

The Most Hauntingly Beautiful Album I Own.......2006-03-19

I can only listen to this album maybe once a year. The melodies, the chords, the feelings it invokes are so beautiful, so haunting that when I listen to this I can't get the sounds out of my head for a couple of days. I usually have absolutely no clue what to put on the turntable (I have the vinyl reissue from 1982, which regrettably doesn't have all the songs on this CD) after I've listened to this, so I sit in the dark, unable to put on the light and examine the shelves.

Mingus was certainly one of the greatest jazz bassists ever, a notable composer and bandleader, but I think this album, his piano playing, really highlights his musical genius. Most instruments in jazz don't really lend themselves to solo performance. The dynamic range of the piano does, however, and here you can hear Mingus' compositional ideas in an intimate setting in their full complexity, and in their barest forms at the same time.

Mingus Alone..........2006-02-09

I purchased this CD one week ago and already I've listened to it countless times. Although I'm not a pianist and can't comment on the technical aspects of Mingus' playing as others have, I'm impressed with his improvisational skills. Its amazing to me that he was able to create this music spontaneously and on piano, which was not his primary instrument. I saw a documentary on Mingus years ago which focused on his gruff and often angry character, but as with all geniuses he was not one-dimensional. This CD captures Mingus' sensitive side. The introspective nature of his playing on songs like "Old Portrait" (which the liner notes state he wrote about his divorce from his first wife) really caught my ear. The intimate and reflective tone of this music has made this CD an instant favorite of mine, and I can already tell that this is a disc I will be playing over and over for years. I think pianists may be more critical of the manner in which Mingus played and the unorthodox chord voicings he used on this recording, but I think that if the music is listened to and absorbed without that in mind it can be appreciated for what it is: a beautiful expression from a creative genius. If you love solo piano it doesn't get any better than this.

A personal favorite........2005-08-17

1963 was quite a year for Charles Mingus. He'd already recorded what may be his masterwork in "Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" when he returned to the studio to record in a rather unique manner-- as a solo pianist. The result is the stunning and often achingly beautiful "Mingus Plays Piano: Spontaneous Compositions and Improvisations".

Mingus, for someone known as a bassist, is quite a pianist-- his style is heavily indebted to Ellington, but there's also shades of Monk and Powell in his playing. More importantly, though, it's clear Mingus composed at the piano, as the voicings unique to his music are extraordinarily clear on this recording. And it's also clear that had he chosen this path, he'd've been a pianist of some repute.

The performances are largely pretty laid back, Mingus is in a pretty meditative and bluesy mood-- he tackles a few standards, some of his own compositions, and improvisations on brief themes within his music. The best of the material is delicate and lovely ("Myself When I Am Real"), energetic but not aggressive ("Body and Soul") or just stunning ("Orange Was the Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues"). And while it lacks much of the bite, sarcasm, and aggressivenes of some of Mingus' better work, it is in its own way, a stunning album. Highly recommended.

MINGUS FINGUS!! Master Bassist is an Excellent Pianist!!.......2004-07-26

Spinning fantastic spontaneous solo piano compositions on the fly, just as he does with his world-famous, award-winning bass technique and with his amazing trios, small groups, and his large orchestras, the late Charles Mingus amazes, again and again. Mingus, alone with the tape running and his mind wide open to ideas that are instantly transmuted into music by his fingers. Indeed, Mingus says his breakthrough on bass violin came when he began to transfer his formidable piano technique to the bass fingerboard. And he became, arguably, the best bassist in jazz.

Charles Mingus was once the bassist for the legendary pianist Art Tatum, who actually taught Mingus advanced piano chords and technique. Small wonder Mingus displays such facility and two-handed technique. We've heard his amazing piano technique on the recording of "Smooch" (off the highly recommended Miles Davis CD "Blue Haze") and on his scorching big band masterwork "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady": also highly recommended.

Many of these compositions are very familiar to the long-time fans of this amazing musician: "Myself, When I Am Real"," Portrait", "Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress...", "Meditation for Moses" (which morphed into the landmark Monterey Jazz Fest performance of "Meditations on Integration" with a thematic makeover), and more are all displayed in fuller form by his groundbreaking jazz bands, using different song titles. But these performances are fully satisfying in themselves. And his technique will amaze any jazz fan who hasn't heard his previous work, as well as any piano fans, with his dense chords and quick, quirky finger runs. "I Can't Get Started" and "Body and Soul" are personalized by Mingus into his own versions.

The Pieces D'resistance are the 8 minute "Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems, and Folklore" which is a dazzling display of different themes and Mingusian pianism; and the spellibinding 7 minute piano solo of "Myself, When I Am Real", which became the amazing "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" on the CD "Let My Children Hear Music", where his piano solo here was scripted, note for note, into a big band performance that ranks among his best ever. So if you heard "Adagio...", now you know where it came from. Mesmerizing!

If you like solo jazz piano, you'll love "Mingus Plays Piano". Enjoy!! Four Stars!!

Not the equal.......2000-11-29

It's an interesting album in many ways, but in the end Mingus' band albums are much more enduring. I know I'd always rather hear the "Myself When I am Real" on 'Let My Children Hear Music', much more effective with a larger band part of the action. As for Mingus technical skills as a solo pianist, he was OK, no better.

Average customer rating:

Mingus Plays Piano (Original Master Recording) Charles Mingus Manufacturer: Mobile Fidelity ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000DWPT Release Date: 1990-02-21

Tracks:

1. Myself When I Am Real
2. I Can't Get Started
3. Body and Soul
4. Roland Kirk's Message
5. Memories of You
6. She's Just Miss Popular Hybird
7. Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues
8. Meditations for Moses
9. Old Portrait
10. I'm Getting Sentimental over You
11. Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems and Folklore

Average customer rating:

Mingus Plays Piano Charles Mingus Manufacturer: Umvd Import ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Avant Garde & Free Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Jazz | Imports | Stores | Music ASIN: B00005R0P4 Release Date: 2002-02-26

Tracks:

1. Myself When I Am Real
2. I Can't Get Started
3. Body and Soul
4. Roland Kirk's Message
5. Memories of You
6. She's Just Miss Popular Hybird
7. Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues
8. Meditations for Moses
9. Old Portrait
10. I'm Getting Sentimental over You
11. Compositional Theme Story: Medleys, Anthems and Folklore

Album Description

Japanese 24 Bit/96KHz remastered reissue of 1963 album originally issued on Impulse!, packaged in a limited edition miniature gatefold LP sleeve. 2001.

Album Details

24bit Digitally Remastered Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase.

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