Charles Mingus- The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady

In many ways it's this sort of album that caused me to create this blog. Basically I bought it on a whim having been given some vouchers over Christmas.

I've never been a fan of Jazz, particularly this avant garde form. I've always felt you needed to be amusicologist to get the best from it. However, I thought since it wasn't my money I'd be spending, I'd give it a go and it always comes up on those lists of the "best ever" albums so there must be some merit to it.

 Having bought it, I've listened to the album sporadically, usually in the car when it's not safe enough to reach for the "shuffle" button. However, when it shuffled this time, in the house with no on coming traffic or pedestrians to worry about as I looked down to search for the ipod, I decided to stick with it and really have a listen and I'm actually pretty glad I did.

I won't pretend that I know much about Charles Mingus except that he played the Double Bass and was a noted composer of Jazz, as opposed I suppose, to "simply" being a good writer  or player. I'm also aware that he had a history of mental illness and a relationship with some British aristocrat or some such thing. I was tempted, prior to giving the album my full attention, to do some further research but I resisted so that I could approach the album afresh.

One disadvantage of this approach concerned the albums' concept i.e. what's it about? Who are the characters mentioned in the title and how do the titles of each composition relate to these? Maybe a greater understanding of these questions might have aided my enjoyment still further?

The other question I have concerns Charles' Mingus as the musician. Maybe it's the nature of his instrument, the double bass, or maybe it's to do with the nature of the ipod  and the type of files it uses ( digital formats tend to be compressed so they lose some "bits" that are supposed to be imperceptible to the human ear) or the fact that my headphones aren't that great (they should be given what I paid for them!!) but I expected the bass to be a major instrument. Perhaps his role as a composer was more important and it's only since I listened to the album properly that I noticed that the bass isn't to the fore as much as I'd expected. I think I'd assumed that he would be noodling away on his bass like Eric Clapton on his guitar at a "Cream" gig.

Anyway, to the music itself. There's no doubt that to a jazz "nimby" like me, this is a pretty challenging album. However, having listened to it a few times, there's much I enjoyed. Yes, there are bits that are quite "atonal" (if that's the right expression) which are difficult to listen to but there a flashes of things, such as a bit of flamenco guitar and, I think, I detected snippets of bits of more traditional jazz that you might have expected to hear in the 1920 & 1930s, which allowed me to find a way in to the rest of the pieces. There was an interesting use of, I think a base or baritone saxophone in an early part of the first piece which was reprised later on. A flute was also used at one point and I have to declare a prejudice in this regard, I hate the sound of the flute with a passion unless it's been hidden away at the back of an orchestra, I don't know why I just do! However, on this album it wasn't too hideous.

All in all it was good getting to know this album. I still think I need a few more listens to appreciate it properly but It's something I intend to do.

A LITTLE BOY WITH MONEY

A Little boy with money is my mother's definition of what a man is. She has been applying this definition to my father and me ever since I can remember. Today is the sort of day I understand what she means because it's my fourteenth wedding anniversary and, as is usual on these occasions, birthdays, Christmas etc my wife has bought me a £50 voucher to spend on itunes. Therefore I have all this money burning a hole in my,  metaphorical, pocket but I don't have the time to sit and spend it since it's 8 A.M. and I have to go to work shortly.

In which case, like a kid in a sweet shop, I'll spend the day attempting to decide what to spend it on. Will I by something completely new? Will I put some of it towards adding to or completing my collection of certain artists,(I still have a couple of Pink Floyd albums to get) or will I use it to replace some of the albums that have got lost, stolen, swapped or "weeded" over the years? Also, will I spend it all in one go or will I have the restraint to keep  some back for future purchase, especially in the short term since, both, Elbow and The XX are due to release new stuff in the next few weeks?

It's going to be a long day until I can get back on my computer!!!