The music of Charles Mingus is famously powerful, complex, and energetic. Of the many fine albums he recorded, Mingus Ah Um (1959) is unique in that the vitality of the music is expressed with an unrelenting sureness of purpose and a masterful control. Every note seems placed precisely where and how it should be and the whole feels as fresh as if it had been recorded yesterday. If this were a solo effort by a single virtuoso it would be remarkable enough; that it is a collaborative achievement of Mingus and seven other musicians is astonishing.
Here’s the title cut:
And here’s the complete one hour and 12 minute album:
