Pre-Bird (later re-released as Mingus Revisited) is an album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus consisting of music that was composed before Mingus first heard Charlie Parker, hence the title Pre-Bird. It was released on Mercury Records in September 1961.[3][4]
| Pre-Bird | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1961 | |||
| Recorded | May 24–25, 1960 | |||
| Studio | Plaza Sound Studios, NY | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 35:20 | |||
| Label | Mercury (1961) Limelight (1965, as Mingus Revisited) | |||
| Producer | Leonard Feather | |||
| Charles Mingus chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |   [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [2] |
Recording
editThe album was recorded over May 24-25 1960 at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City. Tracks 4, 7, and 8 were recorded on the 24th, with tracks 1-3, 5, and 6 recorded the following day. [5]
The album includes two tracks which feature contrapuntal arrangements of swing era pieces, aided by stereo mixing. In the first, "Take the "A" Train" is played in the left channel, paired with "Exactly Like You" in the right channel. The same is done with "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me" and "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart".
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Charles Mingus (except where noted)
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Take The 'A' Train"/"Exactly Like You" | Dorothy Fields ("Exactly") | Billy Strayhorn/Jimmy McHugh | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Prayer For Passive Resistance" | 3:49 | ||
| 3. | "Eclipse" | 3:45 | ||
| 4. | "Mingus Fingus No. 2" | 3:22 | ||
| 5. | "Weird Nightmare" | 3:35 | ||
| 6. | "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me"/"I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" | Bob Russell/Irving Mills, Henry Nemo, John Redmond | Duke Ellington (all) | 3:33 |
| 7. | "Bemoanable Lady" | 4:22 | ||
| 8. | "Half-Mast Inhibition" | 8:12 |
Personnel
editPersonnel via MusicBrainz.[5]
Brass
edit- Marcus Belgrave - trumpet
- Ted Curson - trumpet
- Hobart Dotson - trumpet
- Clark Terry - trumpet
- Richard Williams - trumpet
- Eddie Bert - trombone
- Charles "Majeed" Greenlee - trombone
- Slide Hampton - trombone
- Jimmy Knepper - trombone
Woodwinds
edit- Danny Bank - saxophone
- Bill Barron - saxophone
- Robert Di Domenica - flute
- Eric Dolphy - alto saxophone, flute
- Booker Ervin - saxophone
- Joe Farrell - saxophone
- John LaPorta - saxophone
- Yusuf Lateef - saxophone, flute
- Harry Shulman - oboe
Vocals
edit- Lorraine Cusson - vocals (tracks 3, 5)
Keys
edit- Paul Bley - piano
- Roland Hanna - piano
Strings
editPercussion
edit- Sticks Evans - drums
- Dannie Richmond - drums
- Max Roach - drums
- George Scott - drums
Production
editReferences
edit- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1002. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Swenson, John, ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 140. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ "New LP Releases". Billboard Music Week. The Billboard Publishing Co. 11 Sep 1961. p. 18. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "September Album Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. The Cash Box Publishing Co. Inc., NY. 16 Sep 1961. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Pre-Bird". MusicBrainz. 2021-02-23. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
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