Mingus 1964 concert to bow on disc

By Larry Blumenfeld

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Look for Charles Mingus, fronting a dazzling sextet, to climb the traditional-jazz chart this summer.

The legendary bassist isn't, of course, leading his group on a landmark tour as he did 43 years ago; Mingus, who would have been 85 this year, died in 1979. In fact, none of the members of the ensemble heard on "Charles Mingus Sextet With Eric Dolphy: Cornell 1964" -- set for release July 17 on Blue Note Records -- are still alive.

But this double disc, drawn from previously unreleased tapes, is likely to be the most talked-about jazz album of the year. It adds important detail to a key chapter in one of jazz's most celebrated careers.

Spring 1964 was a championship season for Mingus, who performed a famous concert April 4 at New York's Town Hall before a memorable tour of Europe and one monumental concert at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California. This sextet was perhaps the most acclaimed Mingus ensemble of all, featuring reedman Eric Dolphy, pianist Jaki Byard, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, trumpeter Johnny Coles and drummer Dannie Richmond.

A JOYFUL SOUND

The tapes are as exhilarating as they are important. "The main thing here is that Charles Mingus -- a man whose emotional unpredictability rivaled his genius -- is caught in a state of shameless joy," Gary Giddins writes in the album's liner notes. "Here is the sound of Mingus pleased with himself, his band and his music. Here is the sound of Mingus elated."

When Sue Mingus, Charles' widow, brought these tapes to Blue Note president Bruce Lundvall, it must have been cause for elation among label staffers too. These are not alternate takes, they're choice moments. Perhaps that fact is better appreciated at Blue Note than at any other label, given its stunning success in 2005 with "Thelonious Monk Quartet With John Coltrane, 1957 Concert," which was drawn from the archives at the Library of Congress after a chance discovery.

"We have a new sort of animal with posthumous 'new' CDs," said Blue Note product manager Perry Greenfield, who also worked on the Monk/Coltrane CD. "The buzz will be largely led by press, which, for Monk, was overwhelming. And on this one, we have all sorts of promotional avenues to pursue: Sue Mingus is a marketing genius, and she keeps his legacy in constant forward motion."