Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um

Charles Mingus' sharp and precise compositions rank
among the greatest if the genre of jazz music. While the
composer/basisst/pianist's music lay rooted in the
dominant-of-his-time genre of hard bop, it frequently
ventured into realms of gospel, blues, free jazz, and
classical music, all featuring innovative and pioneering
double-bass techniques. He frequently encouraged
collective improvisation, and unorthodox ensembles to
compose his songs, which frequently included session
legends like Pepper Adams, Jimmy Knepper, Booker
Ervin, and other jazz musicians of note. Though
infamous for having a firey temper on and off-stage,
(Which led to the later nickname of "The Angry Man Of
Jazz") Mingus is frequently paired with the likes of Duke
Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis as one of the
greatest bandleaders and jazz composers of all time.
Among his many full-length releases, 1959's Mingus Ah
Um is considered one of best, and the peak moment of
his works with the collective of musicians dubbed the
Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop. Clocking in at over an
hour in length, Mingus Ah Um is 9 tracks of his finest,
running the gamut from aggressive post-bop, to joyous
gospel fusion, to progressive shuffling ballads, many of
which would go on to become standards of the genre. It
even took moments to praise his contemporaries in
tracks like "Goodbye Porkpie Hat", written for
saxophonist Lester Young, and the closer "Jelly Roll",
an affectionate tribute to one of the first great
composers of jazz. Regarded as one of the greatest
jazz albums of all time, and one of fifty recordings
added to the National Recording Registry in 2003.