{"id":32,"date":"2007-08-14T20:57:10","date_gmt":"2007-08-15T00:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/2007\/08\/mingus_among_us\/"},"modified":"2011-04-28T16:35:06","modified_gmt":"2011-04-28T20:35:06","slug":"mingus_among_us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2007\/08\/mingus_among_us.html","title":{"rendered":"Mingus Among Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

“So Long Eric”<\/a>, a 5:29 jazz video break, giving one pause: Wither small group ideas now?
\nCharles Mingus with saxophonists Eric Dolphy & Clifford Jordan, pianist Jaki Byard, drummer Dannie Richmond, Belgium 1964 — heroes, living. (Music comes up first– raucous “Fables of Faubus” — click “Watch Videos” at bottom of page)<\/p>\n


\nThere’s a muscular confidence — emphatic rhythmic drive (swing, they call it) — and they exude class, too. Organized, but not repressed energy. This video clip comes as part of a Blue Note Records release of the same Mingus Quintet performing at Cornell University (Ithaca, New York), the same year. It’s an original song, memorable, not forced. Everybody gets a solo — tenorist Jordan mulls his about, Mr. Byard typically throws a screwball into his final chords, and where does Dolphy’s outburst of wacky angularity come from? Mingus and Richmond are unphased, in calm control.
\nThere are contemporary small group equivalents — bassist Dave Holland<\/a> (here with trombonist Robin Eubanks, altoist Steve Coleman, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and drummer Marvin Smitty Smith, from 1986) comes to mind as a leader who assign composed parts and makes them work for his players, setting them free (though who equals Dolphy for breathtaking individuality?); Holland’s current sextet plays the the New York Blue Note next week (Aug. 21-26). Henry Threadgill, reeds\/winds composer, who hasn’t been around much lately (I don’t find a worthy video clip). His buddy David Murray<\/a> (also a Dolphyite, now living in Paris); pianist Myra Melford, who constructs her pieces for variety and dramatic arc (also no good clip yet!), voracious reedsman James Carter<\/a>, when he has a special project in hand. Marty Ehrlich<\/a>, a scrupulous saxophonist-clarinetist bandleader . . . Ok, when I think about it, a lot of fine musicians are advancing music that partakes of the clarity of statement and flow-through with shifts that Mingus and company introduced and developed. I’ve barely scratched the surface of those in his debt.
\nJust thought you’d like to see & hear some of it — here’s Dolphy playing clarinet<\/a> with Mingus et al (Johnny Cole is the trumpeter) from Norway. Follow that kinky line!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“So Long Eric”, a 5:29 jazz video break, giving one pause: Wither small group ideas now? Charles Mingus with saxophonists Eric Dolphy & Clifford Jordan, pianist Jaki Byard, drummer Dannie Richmond, Belgium 1964 — heroes, living. (Music comes up first– raucous “Fables of Faubus” — click “Watch Videos” at bottom of page)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-32","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-main","7":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1i3CL-w","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":276,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2009\/12\/treasures_of_youtube_dolphy_fl.html","url_meta":{"origin":32,"position":0},"title":"Treasures of YouTube: Dolphy, flute; Mingus “Meditations”","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"December 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Eric Dolphy\u00a0solos beautifully then uses his bass clarinet for the ensemble line of bassist\/composer\/bandleader Charles Mingus \"Meditations on Integration\" in this 1964 clip, which warms my dank, chill afternoon in Brooklyn.\u00a0Jaki Byard on piano, and dapper Danny Richmond, drums.\u00a0howardmandel.com Subscribe by Email | Subscribe by RSS | Follow on Twitter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":406,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2011\/07\/symphonic_jazz_compositions_bi.html","url_meta":{"origin":32,"position":1},"title":"Symphonic “jazz” compositions, big bands and holiday blasts","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"July 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The American Composers Orchestra readings of short symphonic works by jazz-oriented composers which I wrote of in my CityArts column and posted about here are now available to hear, thanks to Lara Pelligrinelli at NPR's A Blog Supreme. 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Here's my entry about him from Future Jazz (Oxford U Press,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/41V4564B46L.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":183,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2009\/04\/manhattan_jazz_residencies_my.html","url_meta":{"origin":32,"position":3},"title":"Manhattan jazz residencies (my new City Arts column)","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 16, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra\u00c2\u00a0at the Village Vanguard on Monday night since 1967\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The Mingus Big Band, Orchestra and Dynasty ensemble in regular rotation on Mondays at the Jazz StandardGuitarist Les Paul, at age 94 a genuine hipster, the Ben Franklin of American popular music, Monday nights at Iridium forever.These are a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":721,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2011\/12\/721.html","url_meta":{"origin":32,"position":4},"title":"Don Pullen, late pianist with an arts exhibit tribute","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"December 27, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"December 26 is a birthday I share with some great musicians -- John Scofield and the late Quinn Wilson, for two. But yesterday I was thinking of a Christmas baby: pianist Don Pullen, 12\/25\/45- 4\/22\/95. A Don Pullen Arts Exhibit opens today in Roanoke, VA, his home town, produced by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/pullen.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":289,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2010\/01\/jazz_benefits_for_haiti_1.html","url_meta":{"origin":32,"position":5},"title":"Jazz benefits and fight song for Haiti","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"January 18, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The jazz world's response the Haitian earthquake isn't overwhelming, but every bit helps. 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