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The Suite "Pithecanthropus Erectus" is - among other things - programme music. Having learned to walk upright, having achieved alleged superiority over animals, and having caused devastation, the destruction of mankind's natural resources follows. The composer Mingus gives his fellow mankind/musicians the widest possible freedom, which all exploit to the full both in interplay and in the solos. Bedded down in noise and sound collages, the piece is the result of an experimental workshop. The Gershwin classic "A Foggy Day" takes on the role of intermediary between the jazz styles of the 1930s and free jazz. And in "Profile Of Jackie" and "Love Chant" the arranger calls for his soloists to go to the very limits of their artistic improvisation. Speakers Corner all maintained an unwritten ethical code: we would only use analogue tapes to manufacture records.
I'm an avid fan of everything Mingus ever wrote or performed and this is the album that started it all. I cannot truly cite a single reason why, but the way this album unfolded and the music it contains did it.Listen to the sound samples. Aside from Gershwin's masterpiece on track two these are all from Mingus' fertile mind. Of course having Jackie McLean's alto sax against J. R. Monterose's tenor sax may have something to do with my affinity for this album. McLean in particular is one of my favorite alto saxophonists, so that is probably a factor. I am also a fan of Mal Waldron's earlier work and his playing on this album - along with Mingus on bass and Willie Jones on drums make for a solid rhythm section. I will confess that I would have preferred Dannie Richmond on drums, but he would not join Mingus for another year. That is no discredit to Jones' playing which is excellent as much as it is my admiration for how Mingus and Richmond interacted on all subsequent performances.This album was recorded for Atlantic in their NYC studios on January 30, 1956. Even though this album contains only four tracks it still clocks in a little short of thirty-seven minutes, which is about average for an album recorded and released in 1956. More importantly it has stood the test of time. The music is as compelling today as it was in 56, and for folks unfamiliar with Mingus' work and are just discovering him I am sure it's just as new because there is a lot happening musically on every track. I learn something new each time I listen.A perfect companion to this is Mingus' follow-on album from 1957 titled The Clown. It marks Dannie Richmond's first appearance of many to come on a Mingus album, but it also takes the music on this one and extends it. If this is the album that hooked me, The Clown cinched it.
