Charles Mingus - Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus

Tracks #1 and 4-8, recorded in New York on September 20, 1963:

Eddie Preston - Trumpet
Richard Williams - Trumpet
Britt Woodman - Trombone
Don Butterfield - Tuba
Jerome Richardson - Soprano, baritone saxes, flute
Dick Hafer - Tenor sax, clarinet, flute
Booker Ervin - Tenor sax
Eric Dolphy - Alto sax, flute
Jaki Byard - Piano
Charles Mingus - Bass, (narration, #8)
Walter Perkins - Drums

Tracks #2 and 3, recorded in New York on January 20, 1963:

Rolf Ericson - Trumpet
Richard Williams - Trumpet
Quentin Jackson - Trombone
Don Butterfield - Tuba
Jerome Richardson - Soprano, baritone saxes, flute
Dick Hafer - Tenor sax, flute, oboe
Charlie Mariano - Alto sax
Jaki Byard - Piano
Jay Berliner - Guitar
Charles Mingus - Bass, piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums

Bob Hammer - Music arranger
Bob Thiele - Producer
Michael Cuscuna - Reissue Producer
Bob Simpson - Engineer
Erick Labson - Remastering
Historical Context

Many of the tracks on this album had been recorded or have since been rerecorded, some under different titles, on other albums. For example

   1. "Theme for Lester Young" – "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" on Mingus Ah Um
   2. "II B.S." – "Haitian Fight Song" on Plus Max Roach and The Clown (also recorded as "Hog Callin' Blues" on Oh Yeah)
   3. "Freedom" – "Freedom" on Epitaph
   4. "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul" – "Better Git It in Your Soul" on Mingus Ah Um (also "Better Git Hit in Your Soul" on Mingus at Antibes)
   5. "Hora Decubitus" – "E's Flat, Ah's Flat Too" on Blues & Roots
   6. "I X Love" – "Duke's Choice" on A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry.

Freedom

Freedom, by Charles Mingus (excerpt)

    This mule ain't from Moscow,
    this mule ain't from the South.
    But this mule's had some learning,
    mostly mouth-to-mouth.

The lyrics, "This mule ain't from Moscow", might be a reference to a Moscow Mule, a drink made of vodka and ginger beer popular in the 1950s, but is likely also referring to African-American slaves as the "mule".

Mingus did a number of other songs with spoken poetry

    * "Scenes in the City"
    * "The Chill of Death"
    * "The Clown"
    * "Weary Blues" (read by Langston Hughes).

Several other pieces have lyrics

    * "Fables of Faubus"
    * "Oh Lord, Don't Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me"
    * "Devil Woman"

Track listing

All tracks written by Charles Mingus, except where noted.

   1. "II B.S." – 4:46
   2. "I X Love" – 7:38
   3. "Celia" – 6:12
   4. "Mood Indigo" (Duke Ellington/Barney Bigard) – 4:43
   5. "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul" – 6:28
   6. "Theme for Lester Young" – 5:50
   7. "Hora Decubitus" – 4:41
   8. "Freedom" – 5:10


    * Some editions of this album such as AS-54-B on Impulse Records contains an alternate track listing, which excludes the track "Freedom".