Charles Mingus - 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'

Charles Mingus was born on April 22, 1922, in Nogales, Arizona and raised in Los Angeles, where he received double-bass lessons from Red Callendar.  He also studied classical music under Herman Rheinshagen of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, which played a significant role in his compositional thinking alongside gospel songs and the blues.  In the 1940s, Mingus toured with New Orleans musicians Louis Armstrong and Kid Ory.  Later, he briefly collaborated with Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington.

If Charles Mingus had been an improvising instrumentalist alone, he would have become a jazz legend solely for his exceptional bass playing.  However, his bass playing also provided him with a profound understanding of the low soundscapes and inner harmonies of jazz composition.  Consequently, his melodic approach was deeply influenced by the blues and gospel music that he grew up with.

'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz records of all time, and one of Mingus's major masterpieces.  It's a six-part suite that blends various musical styles, including jazz, blues, and even hints of flamenco.

The album was recorded in one day on January 20, 1963, in New York City.  However, years ago, Michael Cuscuna told me that he believed that Mingus had Charlie Mariano overdub more alto saxophone, the next day.  The album was produced by Bob Thiele, and the recording engineer was Bob Simpson.

Mingus, being Mingus, had his Psychologist, Edmund Pollock write the liner notes:

"When Mr. Mingus first asked me to write a review of the music he composed for this record, I was astonished and told him so. I said I thought I was competent enough as a psychologist but that my interest in music was only average and without any technical background. Mr. Mingus laughed and said he didn't care, that if I heard his music I'd understand. This is the uniqueness of this man: he jolts with the unexpected and the new. He has something to say and he will use every resource to interpret his messages. After all, why not have a psychologist try to interpret the projections of a composer musician? Psychologists interpret behavior and/or ideas communicated by words and behavior - why not apply this skill to music? It's certainly a refreshing approach that Mr. Mingus suggests.As Nat Hentoff has stated, "Mingus is ingenuous," ever growing, looking for change and ways to communicate his life experiences, his awareness and feelings of himself and life. His early and late life sufferings as a person and as a black man were surely enough to cause sour bitterness, hate, distortions and withdrawal. Yet, Mr. Mingus never has given up. From every experience such as a conviction for assault or as an inmate of a Bellevue locked ward, Mr. Mingus has learned something and has stated it will not happen again to him. He is painfully aware of his feelings and he wants desperately to heal them. He also is cognizant of a power dominated and segregated society's impact upon the underdog, the underprivileged and the minority. Inarticulate in words, he is gifted in musical expression which he constantly uses to articulate what he perceives, knows and feels.

To me this particular composition contains Mr. Mingus' personal and also a social message. He feels intensively. He tries to tell people he is in great pain and anguish because he loves. He cannot accept that he is alone, all by himself; he wants to love and be loved. His music is a call for acceptance, respect, love, understanding, fellowship, freedom - a plea to change the evil in man and to end hatred. The titles of this composition suggest the plight of the black man and a plea to the white man to be aware.

He seems to state that the black man is not alone but all mankind must unite in revolution against any society that restricts freedom and human rights.

In all three tracks of Side I there are recurrent themes of loneliness, separateness and tearful depression. One feels deeply for the tears of Mr. Mingus that fall for himself and man. There can be no question that he is the Black Saint who suffers for his sins and those of mankind as he reflects his deeply religious philosophy. His music tells of his deep yearning for love, peace and freedom. A new note has crept into his music. Where once there was a great anger now one can hear hope. As with much of his past music, Mr. Mingus cries of misunderstanding of self and people. Throughout he presents a brooding, moaning intensity about prejudice, hate and persecution.

In the first track of Side I there is heard a solo voice expressed by the alto saxophone - a voice calling to others and saying "I am alone, please, please join me!" The deep mourning and tears of loneliness are echoed and re-echoed by the instruments in Mr. Mingus' attempt to express his feelings about separation from and among the discordant people of the world. The suffering is terrible to hear.

In track B, the music starts with a tender theme. It is a duet dance song in which many emotions of relatedness are expressed - warmth, tenderness, passion. The music then changes into a mood of what I would call mounting restless agitation and anguish as if there is tremendous conflict between love and hate. This is climaxed by the piercing cries of the trombone and answering saxophones as if saying the "I" of personal identity must be achieved and accepted.

Track C begins with the happiest of themes. Here Mr. Mingus himself plays a classical piano reverie backed by a lyrical flute and cymbals. It is sweet and soft and has a lightness rarely seen in Mr. Mingus’ music. But once again the music shifts into a tonal despair and brooding anguish. The theme suggested by the title is the peace and happiness of the free person contrasted with the pain and tears of the black man. Mr. Mingus uses many forms of technique and instrumentation to reflect his meaning. He told me his use of the Spanish guitar was meant to mirror the period of the Spanish Inquisition and El Greco’s mood of oppressive poverty and death.

Side II develops all these themes in a very carefully worked out musical composition in concert style, repeating and integrating harmony and disharmony, peace and disquiet, and love and hate. The ending seem unfinished but one is left with a feeling of hope and even a promise of future joy.

Mr. Mingus thinks this is his best record. It may very well be his best to date for his present stage of development as other records were in his past. It must be emphasized that Mr. Mingus is not yet complete. He is still in a process of change and personal development. Hopefully the integration in society will keep pace with his. One must continue to expect more surprises from him.

Edmund Pollock, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist"

Tracklist: 

Side A
1. Solo Dancer 
(Stop! And Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!)
2. Duet Solo Dancers 
(Heart's Beat And Shades In Physical Embraces)
3. Group Dancers 
([Soul Fusion] Freewoman And Oh This Freedom's Slave Cries)

Side B
1. Trio And Group Dancers
(Stop! Look! And Sing Songs Of Revolutions!)
2. Single Solos And Group Dance
(Saint And Sinner Join In Merriment On Battle Front)
3. Group And Solo Dance
(Of Love, Pain, And Passioned Revolt, Then Farewell, My Beloved, 'til It's Freedom Day)

The Players:
Charles Mingus - bass and piano
Rolf Ericson, Richard Williams - trumpets
Quentin Jackson - trombone
Don Butterfield - tuba
Jerome Richardson - soprano, baritone saxophones and flute
Dick Hafer - tenor saxophone and flute
Charlie Mariano - alto saxophone
Jaki Byard - piano
Jay Berliner - guitar 
Dannie Richmond - drums

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This is the version you should have.

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