Mingus (Joni Mitchell album)

Mingus is the tenth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, and a collaboration with composer and jazz musician Charles Mingus. Recorded in the months before his death, it would be Mingus's final musical project; the album is wholly dedicated to him. Mingus was released on June 13, 1979.[2]

Mingus
Studio album by
Joni Mitchell
ReleasedJune 13, 1979[1]
Recorded1978–1979
StudioA&M (Hollywood) and Electric Lady (New York)
GenreJazz
Length37:20
LabelAsylum
ProducerJoni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell chronology
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter
(1977)		 Mingus
(1979)		 Shadows and Light
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[3]
Pitchfork5.5/10[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Stereo Review(favourable)[7]

The album is quite experimental, featuring minimalist jazz, over-plucked, buzzing acoustic guitars, and even wolves howling through "The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey". All of the lyrics are by Mitchell, while the music for four of the songs was composed by Mingus, three being new tunes, a fourth being his tribute to saxophonist Lester Young from his 1959 classic Mingus Ah Um, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", for which Mitchell wrote a set of lyrics.

As with the release preceding, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter, Mitchell hired personnel from jazz fusion group Weather Report, notably bassist Jaco Pastorius to play on the sessions. Mingus would also mark the first reunion of saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock in the studio since recording together on Shorter's seminal Native Dancer album, featuring Milton Nascimento, released in September 1974.

The album is spliced with excerpts, which are labelled "(Rap)", from recordings provided by Sue Graham Mingus, including a scat singing interplay between Joni and Mingus, and Charles and Sue arguing over his age at a birthday party. In "Funeral", Mingus and others discuss how long he'll live and what his funeral will be like. He refers to the Vedanta Society and asserts that he's going to live longer than Duke Ellington, who died in 1974, aged 75, by saying, "I'm going to cut Duke!". "God Must Be a Boogie Man"—having taken shape two days after his death—was the only song Mingus was unable to hear. Mitchell suggests in the liner notes that Mingus would have found it hilarious. The song was re-recorded with orchestral accompaniment on Joni's 2002 album "Travelogue".

The artwork features several paintings by Mitchell of Mingus. It peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Happy Birthday 1975" (Rap)music: Mildred J. Hill0:57
2."God Must Be a Boogie Man"Joni Mitchell4:35
3."Funeral" (Rap) 1:07
4."A Chair in the Sky"lyrics: Joni Mitchell; music: Charles Mingus6:42
5."The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey"Joni Mitchell6:35
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I's a Muggin'" (Rap) 0:07
2."Sweet Sucker Dance"lyrics: Joni Mitchell; music: Charles Mingus8:04
3."Coin in the Pocket" (Rap) 0:11
4."The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines"lyrics: Joni Mitchell; music: Charles Mingus3:21
5."Lucky" (Rap) 0:03
6."Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"lyrics: Joni Mitchell; music: Charles Mingus5:37

Personnel

Sources:[8][2]

Musicians

Prior to recording the album, Mitchell had several "experimental sessions" with New York musicians who had worked with Mingus. These musicians included:

The recordings of the "experimental sessions", rumored to have been lost, destroyed, or made otherwise unavailable have become available as bootleg tapes.

The personnel on the actual album were:

Technical

Mixed by Joni Mitchell, Henry Lewy and Steve Katz
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Personal Management: Elliot Roberts
Paintings by Joni Mitchell
Art Direction: Glen Christensen

Recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood by Henry Lewy and Steve Katz
Additional recordings at Electric Lady Studios, New York by Henry Lewy and Jerry Solomon

See also

References
  1. "Mingus by Joni Mitchell". Rate Your Music. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  2. Planer, Lindsay. "Mingus – Joni Mitchell : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved March 8, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  4. "Joni Mitchell: The Studio Albums 1968–1979". Pitchfork. November 9, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide – Joni Mitchell
  6. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  7. Coppage, Noel (October 1979). "Joni Mitchell: Mingus" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. Vol. 43 no. 4. Stereo Review. p. 100.
  8. "Mingus". JoniMitchell.com. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
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