Charles Mingus - The Clown

The Mingus aggregate that recorded this set lived by the perforations that saxophonist Shafi Hadi sent toward Jimmy Knepper's slippery trombone. If the arrangements for the horns sound Ellingtonian, they're scripted to do so. Mingus played temperately but importantly off the Duke's model for sectional playing here. And Mingus's bass was as wild as ever, especially on the intro to "Haitian Fight Song," which goes at a slow churn here. Hadi and Knepper sound more mainstream than, say, some of Mingus's other brass-reeds combos, but Wade Legge's strange piano voicings created a stormy harmonic frame for the band to thrive in. The title tune may be Mingus's most oddball early composition, with Jean Shepherd narrating a fictional tale of a performing clown as the band mimics and comments on the spoken word. --Andrew Bartlett Amazon.com

THE CLOWN IS TRUE GENIUS. AMAZING PIECE OF MUSICAL WORK.

My first reading of The Clown has just taken place and my opinion is that it is a understated and wonderfully orchestrated piece of musical composition. The cohesion works just fine with the addition of the composition's (Passions Of A Woman Loved) and (Tonight At Noon). This could serve nicly as a score for a film. The typical hard charging grind of the ryhthm section featuring Mr. Mingus on bass and the ever solid drumming of Dannie Richmond is right on time as always. Hadi and Knepper's horn contributions are stuff of genius as well. The interplay between the musicians is fantastic. The narration on (The Clown) by Jean Shepherd weaves itself very nicly within the framework of the composition and appears to be just what Dr. Mingus ordered. Being a jazz drummer and composer myself I can fully appreciate the consentration, dedication, energy and compositional talent that is displayed in this set. I am a die hard Mingus fan and this just adds to his huge catalog of musical treasures for the world to enjoy and appreciate. I enjoy the complete Mingus catalog and this one is a somewhat overlooked gem to be sure. Mingus the poet scores a knock out here folks. Do yourself a huge favor and pick this one up. If you love straight up brilliant jazz and classic composition's of not only jazz but any genre, then you will love this masterpiece. It's a keeper and a true treasure. October 24, 2008

Mingus at His Best

Prior to purchasing The Clown, I'd owned only one other Charles Mingus CD -- Oh Yeah! -- which I'd purchased many years ago. Frankly I was disappointed in Oh Yeah! It was just a little too out there for me and I didn't care for the gospel influence on many of the tracks. But when I heard the sample tracks from The Clown, I decided to give Mingus another try, and boy, am I ever glad that I did.

I'm a big Monk and Brubeck aficionado, and have gotten perhaps a little too comfortable with hearing Charlie Rouse and Paul Desmond's saxophones, so it's delightful to hear on these tracks a full complement of sax, trumpet and trombone, resulting in a fuller sound than a mere quartet can provide.

This reissue includes two tracks that were left off the original LP version -- Passions of a Woman Loved and Tonight at Noon -- both are worthy efforts, although the latter tends to push that envelope from subtle dissonance into outright cacophony.

The original tunes -- Haitian Fight Song, Blue Cee, Reincarnation of a Lovebird and The Clown -- are all wonderful compositions, well-conceived and more than ably performed by the musicians. The title track alone is well worth the price of this edition; at times playful, it transitions smoothly into melancholia, with moments of calamity sprinkled in, as Jean Shepard provides the sad narration. The overall effect reminds the listener of the fine line between comedy and tragedy.

Highly recommended.
April 1, 2008

Near-Essential Mingus

First, the good news: This album starts with one of Mingus' greatest longer songs, the propulsive Haitian Fight Song, appropriately rousing with a characteristically long, brilliant bass solo. Blue Cee is good, but a bit too long - the lovely Reincarnation of a Lovebird is more like it, his best ballad with the exception of Goodbye Pork Pie Hat.

Enter the title track.

The Clown itself is a spoken-word piece narrated by Jean Shepherd. And while his A Christmas Story is one of the funniest movies ever made, this is a complete failiure. It's not just that I don't find the story all that great - though I don't - the performances aren't all that interesting eitehr, so if you don't like the narration, too bad. I appreciate Mingus' avant-garde nature, but I'd rather hear that on A Foggy Day (In San Francisco) or Bird Calls. March 14, 2007

Good album that benefits from the bonus tracks.

The late 1950s were the beginning of a very productive time for Charles Mingus. In 1956, he recorded what many (including myself) consider his first masterpiece, "Pithecanthropus Erectus". The following year, he returned ot the studio to record what many consider his second masterpiece, "The Clown". While I'm not inclined to agree with that assessment, its still a rather good album and worthy of attention.

"The Clown" features two pieces that are rightfully amongst the most loved and revered pieces in Mingus' catalog-- the explosive "Haitian Fight Song" and "Reincarnation of a Lovebird". The former, opening with an unaccompanied bass statement features a driving, building theme stated by trombonist Jimmy Knepper and tenorman Shafi Hadi that grabs hold before melting into fantastic solos all around, particularly from Knepper. The latter, a tribute to Charlie Parker, features a fractured, arhythmic intro quoting a number of songs Bird made famous before falling into a cooled out theme.

These two are augmented by the title track, a bizarre piece featuring arhythmic playing interspersed with swinging sections over which Jean Shepherd speaks a partially improvised story about a clown that serves largely as a commentary about the cruelty of the human race. Its interesting, but largely not as essential as "Haitian Fight Song" or 'Lovebird'. The other track on the album, "Blue Cee", is the weak link on the album. A so-so piece, there were better performances on the session (more on that below) that I think would have improved the quality of the album.

"The Clown" is also noteworthy for being the first album to feature drummer Dannie Richmond, who would be Mingus' rhythm section partner for the remainder of his life, and who plays as though he's been working with Mingus for years, even though this was their first recording.

This deluxe edition augments the recording with two further tracks recorded during these sessions (and originally released along with leftovers from the "Oh Yeah" album on the album "Tonight at Noon"). "Passions of a Woman Loved" is ok, its pretty clear why it was left off the album, its a decent tune, but the reading isn't particularly inspired, and pianist Wade Legge's solo goes nowhere. But "Tonight at Noon", with its racing, breakneck feel, oddball percussion, and fantastic bass playing is essential and as good as anything else on this record.

A good album, particularly when augmented by the extra two tracks. If you're new to Mingus, I'd start with "Mingus Ah Um" (recorded two years later) or "Pithecanthropus Erectus", but for the converted, this is a worthwhile release. July 22, 2005

One of his best albums

This is a very underrated album - overshadowed by 'Oh Yeah' and 'AH UM' but equally as inspired and enjoyable to listen to. This Mingus ensemble at times sounds like a whole orchestra - maybe it is just the intensity - especially on 'Hatian Fight Song' - where Mingus really propels the music by his own passion for the theme - which is almost primal. I think this is also some of the best work of Jimmy Knieper I have ever heard. This album and 'Blues and Roots' are my 2 favorite of the Mingus cannon - I urge you to listen to this one and let it take over your conciousness, if only for a moment in your life. October 20, 2004

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