Charles Mingus - 'Debut Rarities, Vols. 1 - 4'

Debut Records was an independent record label that was founded in 1952 by Charles Mingus, his wife Celia (Zaentz) Mingus, and drummer Max Roach.

Vol. 1 combines material recorded by the Charles Mingus Octet on October 28, 1953 (tracks one through six, five of which were originally released on a 10" LP as Jazz Workshop: Autobiography in Jazz), by the Jimmy Knepper Quintet on July 10, 1957 (tracks seven through 11, released on a 10" LP as New Faces), and three alternates from the Knepper date.

Vol. 2 reaches back toward the very beginnings of the Charles Mingus discography.  Although he had recorded as a sideman and leader during the late '40s, the April 1951 duets with pianist Spaulding Givens a.k.a. Nadi Qamar are remarkable glimpses of Mingus actively participating in recording sessions for a label that he co-founded.

Vol. 3 is from a session or sessions that took place in New York City during September 1957, and features the Shafi Hadi Sextet. Hadi (born Curtis Porter in Philadelphia in 1929) was an alto and tenor saxophonist who worked with Charles between the years 1956-1959.  He is heard in the company of trumpeter Clarence Shaw, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, pianists Wade Legge or Wynton Kelly, bassists Charles Mingus or Henry Grimes, and drummer Dannie Richmond. What you get here is a progress report from innovative improvisers who were laying the groundwork for the stunning advancements in modern jazz that would take place over the next decade.

This is an intriguing chapter from Ming's adventuresome Jazz Workshop years. In the Mingus chronology, it lands right after his Tijuana Moods and East Coasting albums and just before A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry.

Vol. 4 is a rare slice of work featuring vocalists in the lead. Backing is by Mingus-led combos on all tracks, but the presence of singers makes for a great change in the music.  This is not a sleepy, torch jazz vocal style, but much more in the inventive style of singing that would crop up on a handful of Mingus dates from later years – heard here in much more experimental modes. Jackie Paris' work is an especially great revelation – as it's a real contrast to some of his straighter later stuff – but The Gordons are great too, the vocal group from which Honi Gordon sprang to do her solo album for Prestige. Bob Benton sings on a few numbers too – and other players include Lee Konitz on alto, Paige Brook on flute, Hank Jones on piano, and Max Roach on drums.

For the freeload tell us, what’s the best acting debut you’ve ever seen in a movie.

Charles Mingus - 'Pithecanthropus Erectus'

'Pithecanthropus Erectus' is one of Charles Mingus’s earliest large-scale works, and in 2024 is still aging beautifully.

1956 is pretty much an overlooked year for Jazz.  The previous year had seen the untimely death of legendary saxophonist and resident jazz superstar Charlie Parker, and many players were beginning to tire of the rapid, complex changes of the be-bop style that was prevalent in the early 50s.  Conversely, the second golden age of Jazz had yet to be ushered in by Miles, Trane and Ornette, whose convention-smashing classics 'Kind of Blue', 'Giant Steps' and 'The Shape of Jazz to Come' respectively wouldn't come out until 1959 - It would seem, musically, that the genre was 'stuck between stations', so to speak.  Despite this, the year played host to at least three stone-cold classics: Sonny Rollins' Saxophone Colossus, Thelonious Monk's Brilliant Corners, and of course the subject of today's freeload, 'Pithecanthropus Erectus'.

 Literally meaning 'Upright Ape-Man', when translated from Latin, the album kicks off with the brilliant title track - a 'concept song' of sorts, dealing with man's rise and evolution, from growth and happiness to complacency, arrogance and eventual downfall - hence the title.  Mingus, as on many of his albums, used relatively unknown session musicians, who do a fine job of employing the texture and timbre of their instruments to add to the whole, rather than overpowering it, lending a feeling of cohesion absent from many 'supergroup' Jazz albums of the era.  As the track fades out with ominous drones and squealing strings, Mingus' genius is clear in his clever deconstruction of jazz cliches, re-assembling them in such a way that his music sounds forward-looking and familiar all at once.

The other three tracks can't quite match up to the same impossibly high standards, but are still for the most part sublime explorations of mood and feeling. 

 'A Foggy Day' begins and ends in a swirl of cars, police whistles and sirens, in between segueing in and out of a brisk but relaxed section of prime hard-bop, almost as if to show that he could still do the traditional stuff, and better than anyone else. 

'Profile of Jackie' is a short piece, that I wish was longer, and in the vein of later compositions such as "Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat", off 'Mingus Ah Um'. 

'Love Chant' doesn't make quite as amazing use of its extended running time as the title track, but from the understated syncopation in the intro, to the multitude of dynamic changes, bass solos, and dual saxophone breakdowns.  If it never really explodes in the way the title track does, there are plenty of great sonic details to get excited about, like the short, almost orchestral crescendos that appear periodically, and of course Mingus' instantly recognizable bass playing, at once propulsive and adventurous.

For its time, this album was groundbreaking in its musical synthesis. Though Mingus would go onto even greater heights, in the same style and others, this stands as one of his great early works.

Charles Mingus – Bass
Jackie McLean – Alto saxophone
J. R. Monterose – Tenor saxophone
Mal Waldron – Piano
Willie Jones – Drums

For the freeload, tell us what you ate for lunch.