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Charlie Mingus near the end of his career at Umbria, 1974. This band is very similar to the power quintet that recorded Changes 1 and 2. I was extremely lucky to see the Changes band twice within 3 months in 1975 at Amazing Grace Coffeehouse in Evanston, Ill. I like this Umbria lineup even better because it replaces the mediocre (in my opinion) trumpeter Jack Walrath with a guy I never heard of named Hamiet Bluiett on bari. And Bluiett is even wearing a crazy hat, just like Mike I.! With George Adams on tenor, this is a monster wall o' sax! Mingus is making it look easy to pluck that enormous instrument of his, too.
When I saw the Changes band, in the company of the late, great Count (Brad, not Basie), I remember him as being quite subdued. A nonmusical highlight of the first evening was seeing Mingus pick up a cigar from his ash tray and put it in his mouth. Then, after about three very long seconds he removed the cigar from his mouth, turned it 180 degrees on its axis, and chomped back down on it with the lit end out this time.
That's as delicious as bacon for my ears!
ReplyDeleteW/o sound: poor spastic bastards. Full body "jake leg" on benzadrine - hats optional.
ReplyDeletebacon in his ears-- ha-- big meat head
ReplyDeleteBig Rock Head: I'd say they sound as delicious as bacon brownies without the creamcheese.
ReplyDeleteAnon: just think of how they'd look without their instruments, too.
Spaz: watch out. Those ears might chew you up and spit you out as a waxy graven image of a homunculus.
I just found this blog surfing through since I developed two of my own.....this is great! I get to brush up on culture and vocabulary I've neglected over the years. Greetings from NC.
ReplyDelete59er: thanks for the nice words; they're very flattering. I'll take a look at your blogs, too.
ReplyDeleteThey are not much. I majored in Communications and loved creative writing and advertising but went another direction. Now 50 I'm finding it again. Former local columnist I worked for told me to start writing about what I know, so I'm just really getting started on experiences for fun, maybe in a poetic sort of way. Not sure, but it's fun. Maybe I'll take a couple courses to brush up, but I love your stuff.....Thanks!
ReplyDelete59er: I hope you won't get discouraged as you search for your voice. An additional tip I can offer is also to write what you *feel*, even if you're not sure what the point of it is when you start. I discover things that way. Also, youthful foibles + time = amusing anecdotes. Best of luck to you, and thanks again.
ReplyDelete