A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry

A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry is an album by jazz bassist, composer, and band leader Charles Mingus, released by Bethlehem Records in mid-1959.[1][2] In spite of the title, the album does not contain any poetry.[3] "Scenes in the City", however, includes narration performed by Mel Stewart and written by actor Lonne Elder with assistance from Langston Hughes.[4][6][7] The composition "Duke's Choice" re-appears, in updated form, as "I X Love" on the 1963 album Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus.[8][9][10] "Nouroog", "Duke's Choice" and "Slippers" form the basis of the suite "Open Letter to Duke" on Mingus Ah Um.[11]

A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry
Studio album by
Charles Mingus
ReleasedMay or June 1959[1][2]
RecordedOctober 1957
GenreJazz
Length57:29
LabelBethlehem
ProducerJeff Palo
Charles Mingus chronology
Weary Blues
(1958)		 A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry
(1959)		 Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland
(1959)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
LA Times[4]
Penguin Guide to Jazz(8th ed.) [5]

The CD issues of the album include three bonus tracks: the Dizzy Gillespie standard "Woody 'n' You", Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce", which is listed as "Bounce" and miscredited to Mingus, and an alternate take of "Slippers".[12]

Reception

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow called it "An excellent set of challenging yet often accessible music".[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives the album a three-star review (of a possible four stars), and describes it as "an opportunity for Mingus to experiment with texts and with pure sound".[5] The Penguin editors furthermore cite Clarence Shaw's performance on "New York Sketchbook" as "the best trumpet heard on a Mingus album for some time before or since".[5]

Track listing

All titles by Charles Mingus, except where noted.

  1. "Scenes in the City" (Music: Mingus; Narrative: Elder, Hughes) – 11:55
  2. "Nouroog" – 4:52
  3. "New York Sketchbook" – 8:55
  4. "Duke's Choice" – 6:27
  5. "Slippers" – 3:29
  6. "Woody 'n' You" (Gillespie) – 8:44
    • Mistitled "Wouldn't You" on earlier releases
  7. "Bounce" (Parker) – 9:22
  8. "Slippers (Alternate Take)" – 3:50

Personnel

References
  1. Editorial Staff, Cash Box (16 May 1959). "May Album Releases" (PDF). The Cash Box. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc., NY. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. Editorial Staff, Billboard (22 June 1959). "A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry with Charlie Mingus". The Billboard. The Billboard Publishing Co. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  3. Yanow, Scott (2011). "A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry - Charles Mingus | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  4. Heckman, Don (2001-02-19). "A More Complete Introduction to Mingus". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  5. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). New York: Penguin. pp. 907. ISBN 0-14-102327-9.
  6. Hentoff, Nat (1957). A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry (CD booklet). Charles Mingus. Bethlehem Records/Shout! Factory. pp. 3–6. DK 37964.
  7. The liner notes credit "Lonnie Elders"; other sources credit "Lonne Elder III."
  8. Santoro, Gene (2000). Myself when I Am Real. New York: Oxford University Press US. pp. 413. ISBN 0-19-514711-1.
  9. Mathieson, Kenny (1999). Giant Steps. Canongate US. p. 217. ISBN 0-86241-859-3.
  10. Nat Hentoff identifies "Nouroog" as the precursor to "I X Love". Hentoff, Nat (1963). Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (CD booklet). Charles Mingus. Impulse! Records. pp. 2–10. IMPD-170.
  11. Priestley, Brian (1998). "Charles Mingus". Mingus Ah Um (CD booklet). Charles Mingus. Sony Music. pp. 17–20. CK 65512.
  12. Jenkins, Todd S. (2006). I Know what I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus. Westport, CT: Praeger. p. 55. ISBN 9780275981020.
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