SACD Charles Mingus – The Clown (Mono)

The Clown as a hybrid mono SACD from the Atlantic 75 Series: Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio mastered Charles Mingus’ 1957 album direct to DSD from the original master tape. The four pieces play in one continuous sequence – from Haitian Fight Song to the title story, narrated by Jean Shepherd.

Mingus answers with music

With The Clown, Charles Mingus also wanted to make a point: in the liner notes he explained that he had chosen four pieces to show his feeling for swing. Yet this music, recorded in 1957, goes far beyond a reply to critics. It brings together blues, remembrance, protest and a narrated story, and Shafi Hadi, Jimmy Knepper, Wade Legge and Dannie Richmond give those ideas distinct voices. As bassist and composer, Mingus holds everything together while letting his musicians’ personalities stay audible.

The recordings come from two New York dates: the title piece was recorded at Audio-Video Studios on February 13, the other three pieces at Atlantic Studios on March 12, with Nesuhi Ertegun supervising the production. Behind one album sleeve lie two working days and four musical ideas worth exploring one by one.

A storyteller, a trombone and a clown

For the title piece, Mingus invited radio storyteller Jean Shepherd, who improvised his narration within an agreed concept: a clown’s search for recognition takes a bitter turn. Jimmy Knepper’s trombone plays a special role here – Mingus called Knepper the musical leader of the piece, with the others working around him.

That relationship rewards attentive listening: does the ensemble follow the narrator, comment on him or go its own way? The piece deserves uninterrupted attention. Shafi Hadi changes instruments, too – tenor saxophone on the title track, alto on the other three pieces – so the same five instrumentalists produce a different balance of voices without any change of personnel.

Blues, protest and a tribute to Bird

Mingus explicitly linked Haitian Fight Song with thoughts of prejudice, hatred and persecution – a personal stance that belongs to the history of the composition. He described Blue Cee as a blues in C and B-flat in which he heard hints of Count Basie and church music, and Reincarnation Of A Lovebird is dedicated to Charlie Parker. Three different starting points: lived social experience, musical tradition and the memory of another artist.

Following the individual parts is a rewarding route through the album. What do the horns carry, when does the piano step forward, and how do bass and drums respond? The compact ensemble makes it easy to get to know every voice – and each return to the album reveals relationships that went unnoticed before.

The Atlantic 75 hybrid mono SACD

CAPA 060 SA is a hybrid mono SACD from the Analogue Productions Atlantic 75 Series. According to the publisher, Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio mastered it direct to DSD from the original master tape. The SACD layer plays on SACD-capable players, the CD layer on any conventional CD player. The disc contains the four pieces of the original album.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and ship from Hilden.

More from the series: Atlantic 75 Series

Also in another edition: The Clown

More SACDs by Charles Mingus: Blues & Roots · Oh Yeah · Pithecanthropus Erectus

Customer question: Buying Analogue Productions records in Europe

Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

• Charles Mingusdouble bass, composition, bandleaderParticipation: Album personnel
• Shafi Hadialto saxophone, tenor saxophoneParticipation: Alto: tracks 1–3 · tenor: track 4
• Jimmy KneppertromboneParticipation: Album personnel
• Wade LeggepianoParticipation: Album personnel
• Dannie RichmonddrumsParticipation: Album personnel
• Jean Shepherdimprovised narrationParticipation: track 4

Shafi Hadi: alto saxophone on tracks 1–3, tenor saxophone on track 4. Jean Shepherd improvises the narration on track 4 only. Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun.