Monday, July 28, 2014

Charles Mingus Quintet Meets Cat Anderson


In 1972, Charles Mingus undertook a European tour. It started in July, shortly after participating in Newport In New York Jazz Festival which put Mingus and Cat Anderson on the same stage together.

The Mingus Quintet for the first round of the European tour were Jon Faddis (tp) Charles McPherson (as) Bobby Jones (ts) John Foster (p) Charles Mingus (b) and Roy Brooks (d). They can be heard here, from a concert in the Netherlands.

The band in Nice, France, with guest star Dizzy Gillespie

After a series of concerts, which lasted until August, Jon Faddis and Charles McPherson left the band and Mingus had to form a new group for the second round of the European concerts, starting towards the end of the year in Germany, Poland and Spain. Gene Santoro (Myself when I am real: the life and music of Charles Mingus) reflects on Mingus's choices for his new quintet:

"He kept thinking about updating Harry Carney's baritone sound, the deep-toned Ellingtonian mix he'd always loved. A young baritone man recommended by Paul Jeffrey, Hamiet Bluiett, came down to the club and got the nod, along with trumpeter Joe Gardner. And Cat Anderson, Ellington's last high-note trumpeter, took a break from his intense schedule of studio work to hit the road. Bluiett doubled on clarinet, and could do the raucous, old-timey pieces Mingus always loved to play with loving parody, as living history tableaux. An avant-gardist with leanings toward blues and free form, Bluiett also felt the exuberant pull of traditional jazz from early New Orleans, like other free-jazz artists. Mingus was their avatar, overtly straddling jazz history from before Duke to after himself."

Charles Mingus Quintet + Cat Anderson 
Live In Berlin
November 5, 1972, Berlin Philharmonie

Peggy's Blue Skylight
Celia
Perdido (feat. Cat Anderson)


Joe Gardner (tp), Hamiet Bluiett (bs,cl), John Foster (p), Charles Mingus (b), Ray Brooks (d)




Here is another video of the European tour, this one without Cat Anderson, performed nine days after the Berlin engagement in Barcelona, on November 14,1972:


10 comments:

  1. Hi, Ehsan

    Does Gene Santoro offer a track list for an october 22, 1972 Mingus concert in Paris France? I found some 1970 and 1972 Mingus broadcasts on cassettes from my deceased friend Otto. And I find it extremely hard to decide when one broadcast ends and when another begins.

    It looks like the october 22 concert was never even bootlegged, although sound quality is really quite good

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No set list for October 22, 1972, I'm afraid. However, there is this:

      Live in Chateauvatton, 1972 (France's Concert)
      TRACKS:
      1. Duke Ellington Medley (26:46):
      1.Blues in G (bass solo) (3:45)
      2. In a Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington)
      3. Sophisticated Lady (Ellington)
      4. ?? (Ellington)
      5. Mood Indigo (Ellington, Barney Bigard)
      6. Take the "A" Train (Billy Strayhorn);

      2. Fables of Faubus (19:10)

      3. Diane [Body And Soul] (6:56)

      4. Blues Medley (15:32):
      i. John's Blues aka Blues for Roy's Saw [Blues for Some Bones]
      2. Noddiri Ya Head Blues

      PERSONNEL:
      Charles McPherson (as); John Foster (p, voc); Charles Mingus (b); Roy Brooks (d, musical
      saw)

      DATE AND LOCATION: August 22,1972, Chateauvallon, France

      Delete
    2. Two days before the date you're looking for there has been a concert in Poland:

      i. Peggy's Blue Skylight (11:38) [mistitled
      "Blue Skylark'] applause, announcement Mingus (0:20) 2. Celia (fragment) (6:14) applause
      insert (0:25) 3. Blues for a Saw (18:56) [mistitled "Blues For Roy Saw"] applause (0:52) PERSONNEL:
      Hamiet Bluiett [CD: Barry Blue] (fl, bs); Joseph Gardener (t); John Foster (p); Charles Mingus
      (b); Roy Brooks (d, musical saw) DATE AND LOCATION: October 20, 1972, Warsaw, Poland

      Delete
    3. The Nice concert:

      Santoro doesn't mention it in his discography but he does bring it up in the biography bit by saying "at the festival in Nice on July 20, [1972], Gillespie sat in, scat singing some blues and soloing." (See the first updated video in the above post)

      The announcer is a lady speaking in French or your tape comes from a German speaking broadcast? (I have one in French)

      Does Dizz join in for The Man Who Never Sleeps?

      Also left unlisted is the Munich concert whose set list is very typical of what Mingus was playing in concerts (two days before Munich, in Sweden, almost the same material is played. That one is listed by Santoro.)

      Ehsan

      Delete
    4. Thanks, Ehsan.

      No, I got a french announcer on the Nice tape. What are the tracks on your broadcast from Nice with the Lady announcer?

      Delete
  2. If this is the French intro, then you're listening to the Nice tape WITHOUT Blueitt, and featuring Dizzy:
    http://www.mediafire.com/listen/6s9i6gk5a863huk/03_intro.mp3

    and the tracks are:

    fables of faubus
    blues medley jam
    the man that never sleeps (with dizzy)
    When the Saints...(with Dizz)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, it's with Bluiett and Cat Anderson. My broadcast starts with the band playing Celia and the first announcement (male) comes after that. He tells the personnel (with Bluiett and Cat Anderson) and mentions October 1972 (no day though). Gonna send you some files via wetransfer.com. (You'll get a mail with a download adress):

      1. My (october in Nice?) broadcast. a) just the music in parts (I had cut out the announcements) b) complete in one piece (with announcements). You can then use the timings of a) to find the announcements in b)..

      2) What I have from "Munich". There are no announcements on this one. Except one from Mingus where he says, they are going to play "Orange was the Color ..." now. After that the band goes into "The Saints". But hear for yourself.

      Delete
    2. Looking forward to listen to samples.

      Delete
  3. Hi, Ehsan,

    Did you ever get the sound files from me?

    ReplyDelete