Track Listing

1. Haitian Fight Song
2. Blue Cee
3. Reincarnation of a Lovebird
4. Clown
5. Passions of a Woman Loved [#][*]
6. Tonight at Noon [*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37383 in Music
• Released on: 1999-02-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .15 pounds

Amazon.com
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

Customer Reviews

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.

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.

Perfect, Exploratory Jazz
"Blue Cee" and "Lovebird" swing, hard. "The Clown" combines an impressionistic narrative with music in an effective way, and stands as a unique statement. "Hatian Fight Song" gets a good reading, I believe this to be the consummate version. Those were the 4 tracks that constituted this LP, and they add up to a great and solid record. Two tracks from the session later included on "Tonight at Noon" are included on this CD also.