Charles Mingus - Mingus At Carnegie Hall Deluxe Edition (180g) (3LP)

Originally recorded in January 19, 1974, Mingus At Carnegie Hall was released as a 1LP that only featured 2 long tracks ("C Jam Blues" and "Perdido") from the concert; one track per LP side, and features Jon Faddis, Charles McPherson, John Handy, George Adams, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Hamiet Bluiett, Don Pullen, and Dannie Richmond. Yet the original concert in January of '74 included 2 hours of performances, but nearly 70+ minutes were left on the cutting room floor. With jazz music on the decline in the US in the 1970s, Atlantic Records was probably concerned about releasing a 3LP set at a higher price point that only the most ardent fans would purchase at the time.

Well after 47 years and in honor of 2021's Black Music Month, Run Out Groove has righted the course of this ship, issuing the complete 1974 Mingus At Carnegie Hall album with over 72 minutes of unreleased material and putting the original running order of the concert in correct sequence. The deluxe 3LP set features never-before-seen photos taken by original photographer Gosta Peterson and new liner notes by Jazz historian and producer, Michael Cuscuna.

One of the most important figures in twentieth century American music, Charles Mingus was a virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, band leader and composer. Born on a military base in Nogales, Arizona in 1922 and raised in Watts, California, his earliest musical influences came from the church - choir and group singing - and from "hearing Duke Ellington over the radio when [he] was eight years old." His early professional experience, in the '40s, found him touring with bands like Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory and Lionel Hampton. Mingus' career has spanned three-decades and he collaborated with other jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock.

Mingus' compositions retain the hot and soulful feel of hard bop, drawing heavily from black gospel music and free jazz, and classical music. Because of his brilliant writing for midsize ensembles, and his catering to and emphasizing the strengths of the musicians in his groups, Mingus is often considered the heir of Duke Ellington. From the 1960s until his death in 1979 at age 56, Mingus remained in the forefront of American music. When asked to comment on his accomplishments, Mingus said that his abilities as a bassist were the result of hard work but that his talent for composition came from God. He died in Mexico on January 5, 1979, and his wife, Sue Graham Mingus, scattered his ashes in the Ganges River in India. Both New York City and Washington, D.C. honored him posthumously with a "Charles Mingus Day."

Releasing the entire show reveals what an affirmation that evening was. With the sextet, Mingus proved he was still a force to be reckoned with; in fact, you wonder how many ensembles led by younger players could match the firepower of this late-career lineup - then, now, or ever. And bringing out the alumni helped clarify what all the fuss was about in the first place.