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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

On "Tonight at Noon. . .Three or Four Shades of Love," not only is the CD an extraordinary 10-piece collection of Mingus tunes focused on the theme of love, but it also marks the recording debut of the Charles Mingus Orchestra (on four tracks). In addition, omni-pop singer Elvis Costello performs an exhilarating take on the Mingus composition "Invisible Lady" that he recently penned lyrics to. The recording marks the 80th anniversary of the composers birth and will be released at the same time as Sue Mingus exquisitely written memoir of her life with Charles. Tonight at Noon: A Love Story is published by Pantheon Books.

MINGUS BIG BAND: Johnathan Blake - Drums & Tambourine Seamus Blake - Tenor Sax Randy Brecker - Trumpet Ronnie Cuber - Bass Sax Wayne Escoffery - Tenor Sax Alex Foster - Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Flute & clarinet Ku-umba Frank Lacy - Trombone & Vocals Earl Gardner - Trumpet Craig Handy - Tenor Sax Vincent Herring - Alto Sax & Soprano Sax Conrad Herwig - Trombone David Kikoski - Piano Boris kozlov - Bass Earl McIntyre - Baritone Tuba & Tenor Trombone Andy McKee - Bass Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet Kenny Rampton - Trumpet Jaleel Shaw - Alto Sax Alex Sipiagin - Trumpet John Stubblefield - Tenor Sax Dave Taylor - Bass Trombone & Tuba

CHARLES MINGUS ORCHESTRA: Seamus Blake - Soprano Sax Alex Foster - Alto Sax Conrad Herwig - Trombone David Kikoski - Piano Boris Kozlov - Bass Michael Rabinowitz - Basoon Scott Robinson - Flute

Adam Rogers - Guitar Robert Routch - French Horn Alex Sipiagin - Trumpet Jeff "Tain" Watts - Drums Douglas Yates - Bass clarinet Elvis Costello - Vocals on "Invisible Lady"

Producer - Sue Mingus

Amazon.com

The Mingus Big Band, who have lost a little of their edge on their past couple of albums, introduce a few wrinkles on this effort--which, as all its predecessors do, consists of compositions by the late and great Charles Mingus. On four consecutive tunes, the band expands to the 11-piece Charles Mingus Orchestra, a bottom-enhancing unit that includes French horn, bassoon, and bass clarinet. The finale is a partial reading of the neglected extended masterpiece "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" (1963). On the '60s-derived song "Invisible Lady," genre-hopping rocker Elvis Costello sings his own lyrics. Costello is less than a natural in this setting, both as a vocalist and as an overly poetic wordsmith. The orchestra, however, which makes its recorded debut, breathes burnished truth into songs such as "Eclipse." The 17-minute "Black Saint" excerpt, arranged as are many of the songs by trusty Mingus veteran Sy Johnson, is no substitute for the gripping original, but handles the ebbs, flows, and episodic shifts with élan. As a whole, Tonight at Noon succeeds in casting appreciative light on Mingus's melodic-reflective side while managing to incorporate the earthiness that so strongly defined him. --Lloyd Sachs

Review

Passionate, earthy and committed, theres no ghost here, but rather Mingus in the Flesh. -- Paul De Barros, Seattle Times, June 2002

Rather than creating a museumlike memorial, Sue Mingus has extrapolated Mingus into the future. -- Owen Cordle, Jazz Times, June 2002

About the Artist

The critics said it couldnt be done: form a big band dedicated to the music of Charles Mingus and perform weekly in a New York City club. But in 1991, Sue Mingus, the widow of the composer/arranger/bassist, chose to dream the impossible dream and launched the Mingus Big Band at The Fez underneath the Time Café in the East Village. Over ten years later, the 14-piece group with a rotating personnel roster of top-notch musicians has beat the odds and continues to hold fort at the Fez on Thursday nights. In its quest to explore the music of Charles Mingus and celebrate his legacy, the Mingus Big Band plumbs the wealth of his repertoire, which has led to a remarkable series of seven recordings on Dreyfus Jazz. Mingus compositions are rarely performed by jazz bands, largely because they are so personal and because of their complexity. Yet, his music continues to grow in popularity thanks to the Mingus Big Band, which has toured extensively in Europe, Australia and the U.S. Its six CDs on Dreyfus ("The Essential Mingus Big Band," "Blues & Politics," "Que Viva Mingus," "Live in Time," "Gunslinging Birds" and "Nostalgia in Times Square") have not only sold well but have also garnered critical recognition (including Grammy nominations and NAIRD Indie Awards). The band itself regularly wins the Best Big Band awards in jazz magazines critics and readers polls. The personnel ranks comprise an all-star cast of jazz artists, including trumpeters Randy Brecker and Alex Sipiagin, saxophonists Craig Handy, John Stubblefield, Seamus Blake, Alex Foster, Vincent Herring and Ronnie Cuber, trombonists Conrad Herwig and Ku-umba Frank Lacy and pianist David Kikoski.