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steveburnhamuk

The Charlie Mingus Jazz Workshop – Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956)

Updated: 4 days ago




This 1956 album is the earliest one in a box set I bought of Mingus albums, and which I only listen to rarely. I'm no expert in matters jazz and music technique, so this is likely to be quite short.








The overall feel is one of a bridge between the big band sound and the free jazz which would follow, and I can see it must have been groundbreaking in its day. Title track Pithecanthrous Erectus moves from a straightforward sax solo, followed by a piano solo, all underpinned by Mingus' melodic double bass, before a burst of free improvisation in the final third. A Foggy Day starts off mimicking traffic noises, which continue alongside a jaunty little theme, and it's a fine tune, which offers more with each listening. Profile Of Jackie is a short, orthodox slow jazz piece, which deviates from the expected towards the end, and final piece Love Chant is the longest piece on the album, a rambling repetitive theme with much solo improvisation on top in which my interest tends to drift in and out a bit.

But nevertheless, it's a great listen, and I heartily recommend giving it a mere 35 minutes of your life!



4* - a pioneering jazz piece, which still sounds great today.

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