1 of 3-5 star lps- (see "Blues and Roots" and "Dynasty") issued by Mingus in 50's. All his own compositions, the song flow is unparalleled. No song can be called better than another, but, of course, we all favor some. Listen to his eloquent 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat' Charlie's tribute to lester young. Check out 'Fables of Faubus; and think about.... CIVIL RIGHTS! Overwhelming opening funk/jazz piece "Better Git It In Your Soul" Mingus was certainly a master composer, creator, artist and a central link, between at most, 2 other great jazz composers. Buying this cd is a 'no brainer' for anyone of an age that knows what was, is and will be good for as long as we have ears. Companion cd is "Dynasty". The man who entitled his auto-biography "Beneath the Underdog" still gets way too little respect.

i always knew that Mingus was great...but it was not something that i could attest to through personal experience. i had seen the light that was Coltrane, Davis, Sun Ra, Dolphy...but Mingus' masterpieces somehow eluded me. probably due to the fact that i just simply did not take the time to check them out. well, i picked up Mingus Ah Um (finally)...and it all rang true. not only was this man an excellent bass player, but a true genius in composing. his music shines bright with a broad range of feeling and emotion. the righteous anger is present within the notes...anger that boiled hot over the shakey political/cultural climate of the times. but the music's fire is stoked by coals of passion and sincerity, jazz morphs into the blues and swings into melodies so alive and free that they can't be denied in their originality and greatness. i've been listening to this album only about 10 times and i'm still finding new things revealed to me with each spin. Mingus' vision grows deeper and more profound each time around. and there's so much more to explore and discover.

In 1959, Charles Mingus was at the height of his powers-- in the midst of a roll from a stream of fine music on Atlantic, he signed to Columbia and delivered his first album in early 1959, "Mingus Ah Um". Perhaps the best album Mingus ever recorded, Mingus augments his working band (saxaphonists John Handy and Booker Ervin, pianist Horace Parlan, and drummer Dannie Richmond) with reedman Shafi Hadi and either trombonist Willie Dennis or Jimmy Knepper, and produced an album of such startling variety and briliant performance that it demands attention.

To this day, when someone curious about Mingus' music asks me for a recommendation, without hesitation, I immediately suggest this album. From the opener, it all works-- Mingus' racing "Better Git It In Your Soul" is a gospel shout masked as a jazz piece-- featuring the leader on rambling vocals, a gospel shout theme, a jaw dropping solo by Booker Ervin (under which the rest of the band claps rhythm) and just stunning and sensitive drumwork from Richmond that puts the exclamation mark on the piece-- this really is about half of what Mingus has to offer as a musician. The other half comes in funereal ballad "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", second track on the album. A tribute to departed saxophonist Lester Young, Mingus evokes raw mourning in his sax line, and Handy's solo and Mingus' support of it are nothing short of astonishing (check Mingus' echo of Handy's fluttering for evidence of this).

By the time you've finished these two tracks, if it's not working for you, Mingus probably isn't for you, and the rest of the record isn't going to change anything.

Mind you, the rest is pretty good too, alternately energetic and explosive ("Bird Calls") and mellow and beautiful ("Self-Portrait in Three Colors") with at least one stunning arrangement ("Open Letter to Duke") and another bonafide classic in "Fables of Faubus". Composed about the then-governer of Arkansas and his segregation policies, "Fables" originally had vocals, but Columbia censored Mingus, fearing the outcome of such a move (check out "Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus" on Candid for the uncensored version of the piece). The resulting piece has to rely on horns only for sarcasm and bitter exposition, which it does remarkably well, and it is full of bluesy solos, including a Mingus solo that is as biting as any vocal could be.

The reissue features pristine sound-- it certainly could have been recorded yesterday, and three additional tracks that were unearthed in the '70s. All three (particularly "Pedal Point Blues") are fine material nad well worth having. Included in the liner notes are two essays-- the original album notes and a new one, both of which are interesting reads.

"Mingus Ah Um" is one of the classics of Charles Mingus' catalog, and is on the short list of essential jazz listening. Highly recommended.

One of the best jazz albums. Better Get It In Yer Soul really Gets in Yer Soul. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat is a mournful tribute to Lester Young with a great title. Listen to the sax solo - in a part, it sounds liike the saxophonist is crying. Boogie Stop Shuffle is an interesting stop-start twelve-bar blues tune with a really catchy melody. Self Portrait in Three Colors is an OK ballad. Open Letter to Duke is a very interesting number. It starts as an uptempo track, then slows down about two minutes in, only to pick up after another two minutes of going slow. And it's a tribute to the original jazz genius Duke Ellington. Bird Calls is a bebop Parker tribute complete with opening and closing sax lines that actually sound like bird calls. Fables of Faubus is a slap at the Governor of Arkansas who refused to intergrate schools. It just oozes bitternessbut is a great song. Pussy Cat Dues is a relaxed, medium bluesy tune. Jelly Roll is the fourth (!) tribute piece to another composer. Three outtakes are featured here: Pedal Point Blues, GG Train and Girl of My Dreams. These three pieces are okay, the best being Pedal Point Blues, but I listen to the originals more.

I think this is my favorite Mingus album. It's got it all - wonderful tunes and virtuoso performances. But where do you go from here? Mingus put out a lot of amazing music. Some of it is rather challenging and not for the timid, but I recommend the following without hesitation, especially if you're a fan of Mingus Ah Um.

Blues and Roots, Mingus Dynasty - both also from 1959, one of his greatest years, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus - just spectacular, Tijuana Moods - one his most emotional and swinging albums, Black Saint and the Sinner Lady - one of the most daring (yet swinging) jazz concept albums, Let My Children Hear Music - a true masterpiece of composition and performance, and Live in Antibes - one of his best live albums featuring Eric Dolphy.

Mingus has a very distinctive and unique sound. This album is crazy and thats great. A lot of stuff you wont hear on any other jazz records. This is just good music and great jazz! get it already

Mingus composed some of the most amazingly catchy, vibrant, emotional songs you'll ever hear for this album and his band absolutely slays. "Better Git Hit In Yo Soul" is a blast from start to finish with elements of big band and gospel coming right out to slap staid, classy jazz fans in the face and make them dance. Those put off by the intensity of that song will be more at home with the gentle ballad "Goodby Porkpie Hat" which swoons along beautifully. Most of the songs fall somewhere in between those extremes with "Boogie Stop Shuffle," "Bird Calls," and the carnivalesque "Fables Of Faubus" being my particular favorites. This is not only Mingus's most accessible album, but one of his very best. As both a bassist and a songwriter/composer, Mingus is truly one of the greats and his genius is on full display right here.

This is a stereo SACD not a 6-channel remastering. It's nice, but if you've heard 6-channel, it's somewhat disappointing.

If you own one work by Mingus this must be it. Mingus if he did nothing else, really showcased the art of Jazz as 'composition'.

These tunes here are so well thought out, so structured, you so full of improvisation and free at the same time. I really wish Mingus would have played Boogie Stop Shuffle more often (like he did with Better Git...).

Every song on here is just excellent, Mingus really makes the most of his 'big band' sound here, giving the music great dynamics and shadings.

This is a great five star album. Mingus deserved as much fame as Miles Davis did, not that he was the main voice of the band but his compositions were very strong. He had a very Ellington-ish approach to composing. "Ah Um" has some of Minguses finest tunes esp the minor keyed ballad "Goodbye Pork pie hat". Mingus himself takes few solos, still when you are playing walking bass lines, you are making it up as you go along. So it's like you're soloing and at the same time you're just backing up the horns. Horace Parlan, Mingus, and Dannie Richmond are a very fine Rhythmn section. This is just great jazz, I don;t have too many words to explain it. It is definitley in the post-bop category.

I started experimenting with jazz about a year ago. My first purchase was picitherus erectus which i loved and this was my second. There is still a lot of Jazz i do not like but this one I actually want to turn up the volume on and humm away.

If you want to buy a jazz album this is one of the best places to start. Mingus is one of the truly great composers of the 20th century - and this album demonstrates the spectrum of his personality as composer, band-leader, master bass player. The recording is remastered beautifully - you are able to hear all the textures like never before.
This is not my favorite Mingus album (I am a die-hard fan of 'Blues and Roots') but it is a classic and it is indespensible. It is my wish that Mingus will start to get more attention - I think people are exposed more to Miles Davis (who was good) and Mingus and Monk get the short-end of the stick. But can any other jazz artist meet his talents at composing - maybe Ellington or Monk - but that is about it.

This is truly a jazz masterpiece and a timeless classic. The selections on this CD combine incredible musicianship with the genius of Mingus' compositions and the results are stunning. Every track has a unique feel with the music gleefully incorporating elements of gospel, blues and other influences while retaining a hard bop sensibility. John Handy is wonderful on sax and his performance really stands out although the entire band is excellent. This is jazz that is accessible to the general listener as well as challenging to the serious jazz lover. If you are just getting into the music from this period you can't go wrong here. Buy it and enjoy.

This is a wonderful album from the volatile genius of bassist, composer and arranger, Charles Mingus. The songs are all either classics or deserve to be--
'Better git it in your soul' is a swirling, bubbling act of creative inspiration; 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat' is a lovely introspective tribute to the then recently deceased tenor sax giant Lester Young; 'Fables of Faubus' is a satirical dig at a racist politician; 'Self Potrait in 3 colours' written though never used, for a film, is beautiful, etc etc.
The playing is very good, especially the whole ensemble-individual playing not as striking individually as the great jazz players, although Mingus was a great bassist, Jimmy Knepper a wonderful trombonist, and Danny Richmond a phenomenal drummer.
This shows what jazz can, and should do. Unmissable.

There are three albums that make up my introduction to jazz records. Time Further Out by the Brubeck Quartet was first. Next was Monk's Underground LP. Then I'm diggin' this great album cover with the cubist painting and what a great title Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, a selection from the Mingus Ah Um masterpiece. In no time I'm so crazy over Mingus, I start buying everything I can find by him and shortly after that I caught him live at 2-Saints, a small...No, make that a tiny club on St Marks Place. During intermission I even found myself standing next to this jazz titan at the pizzaria on the corner of St Marks & 3rd...Having a slice with Mingus....Man, what a night that was!!!

Back to Ah Um...It's a seminal jazz recording. In my opinion as vital as anything by Elington, Monk or Miles. Pork Pie Hat is at least as great as Round Midnight, Sophisticated Lady or Funny Valentine. If you don't own this one in your jazz collection...you've got a lot of explaining to do!

If traditional jazz can be compared to arithmetic, you might say that Charlie Parker composed algebra, Monk worked in geometry, and Mingus entered the realms of calculus. The songs on this album have the cerebral quality of the best be bop, and the swing of Duke Ellington. For those unfamiliar with Mingus, don't be put off by the fact that he was a bassist. He does solo, but he knew enough not to expect non-musicians to sit through extended bass passages. While the music is complex, layer upon layer of rich sounds, it is also extremely accesable to anyone who loves jazz.

This is my first Mingus album with him playing and having written the songs and recruited the band. My only other exposure had been to a posthumous "Mingus Big Band" collection of his songs, which was not anywhere near as wonderful as "Ah Um." Surprisingly, this disc is not driven by his bass. Actually, the horns dominate, and they are great horns. Saxophones are manned by John Handy, Booker Ervin and Shafi Hadi. Trombones are played by Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis. Horace Parlan tickles the piano, Dannie Richmond is on the drums, and the great Mingus does his bass work, of course...but not as much as one might expect. My gosh, however, all 12 songs are dense and lively and interesting, including the three bonus tracks. This adds up to 72 minutes of great late '50's jazz by an obvious master. As of this writing, there are 27 other reviews posted. Read them for opinions on individual tracks and details on the soloists. As for me, I say the whole thing is great, and essential to any collection of the musicians of that era. I can't imagine anyone not liking it.

This album is a classic, containing some of Mingus' best known compositions. Good By Pork Pie Hat is a deeply felt tribute to Lester Young, Better Get It In Your Soul raises the roof like a gospel revival meeting. Fables of Faubus is quirky and menacing.

The band is full of good hard bop players. While not as adventurous as Mingus' bands from the 60s and 70s they play with style and passion. Horace Parlan in a wonder, especially considering that he worked with only three fingers on his right hand.

A must have for any jazz fan.

This is the first Mingus CD I picked up, and it won't be the last. The quality of the songwriting is the strongest part of the album. The playing is excellent, but it's the songs that shine.

Parts of this historical recording are very interesting because they show the emergence of a creator on the edge of future greatness.Three cuts really stand out:BETTER GIT IT IN YOUR SOUL,GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT and FABLES OF FAUBUS.Each of these tracks demonstrates that MINGUS is willing to strech out his talent in a variety of styles.The rest of the stuff is quite uneven and the bonus tracks are not that great.As it is,this cd is definetetly worth buying for jazz fans.Don't expect a masterpiece like ROUND MIDNIGHT (DAVIS) or IMPRESSIONS(COLTRANE) and you'll get satisfaction.

This is great stuff. It's different than your typical jazz quartet/quintet though. In true Mingus style, this disc sounds just a bit different than anything I have heard before. The group is larger and at times seems to be a bit *free-form*, but that is a good thing. Mingus keep 1 and 1/2 feet planted squarely in jazz tradition and ventures out a bit into large group experimentation. Don't get me wrong-this is not free jazz by any means. These songs are classics and they've never sounded better than they do here. This larger group swings great and the horn section is just outstanding. The gospel-ish 'shout-outs' punctuate tunes with a very present 'earthiness' while on other tunes the group shows amazing restraint and plays with beautiful simplicity.

Highly recommended.

Mingus Ah Um is a one of Mingus' greatest albums. It truly shows Mingus' musical genius, as a composer and bass player as well. A must have for everyone's jazz collection. A classic.

70 minutes or so of classic mingus from the studio. Not a bad tune and great playing from this 1959 classic. Three bonus tracks no less. A slice of genius

i admit it...charles mingus has always intimidated me...i have other music by him, a live disc that even his die-hard fans have criticized and a compilation of blues and ballads that i only enjoy in spurts...
...nothing that i have bragged about to others...just kinda ho-hum...
but mingus has always remained one of those musicians that i have felt compelled to dig into to find out what all of the fuss was about...i'm glad i kept diggin and didnt stop with those other recordings because this is some truly enjoyable music being played here! for those of yall with similar encounters with mingus as i, or if you are just looking for that first album of his for you to get into, then let me recommend this one for you; you'll either be satisfied and stop with this purchase or very pleased and urged (as i) to dig deeper into his other classics...

Was it his anti-war militancy in the 60's that got him blacklisted and hidden from mainstream America? Ken Burns continued that trend, or perhaps he ran out of heroes. Listen also to Passions Of A Man, the Atlantic anthology. I came to Mingus via Jeff Beck, of all places. We all start somewhere....

Ah Um is one of Charles Mingus's most richly textured albums, dense and dynamic all at once. It is almost as if the whole of the jazz tradition to that date, and some vision of its immediate future, were crammed into three-quarters of an hour. It is not as ambitious as The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) and still retains some measure of conventionality in the structures of some of its constituent pieces: introduction, ensemble statement of the theme, solos, development, recapitulation, closing statement.

Peculiar wails weave themselves in and out of ironic quotations from Ellington, from Mingus, from the blues, all cloaked in the enormity of the Mingus sound, thrust forward by rhythms and counter-rhythms tightly driven by Dannie Richmond. It contains the passionate, aching "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". An indispensable album.

This is pure 1950s Jazz, the kind that makes you feel like a filterless cigarette might be a good idea.

The playing is flawless, the recording sterling, the swing endless.

If I have one complaint here, it is Mingus's bass being hidden in a forest of other superb players. The first few bars of the record, just Mingus on bass, then piano, then horns and the rest, had me eager for a bass-heavy experience. It's all great stuff, but I wanted to hear the standup.

This is a classic that any Jazz fan should own.

Como "La Consagración de la Primavera" (1912, Igor Stravinskij) hay hitos en la música de este siglo. Charles Mingus Jr., nacido en Nogales, Arizona (¿alguien pensó que en el Nogales que esta cerca del Túnel El Melón?) en 1922 y falleció en 1979 en Cuernavaca, México; pianista, compositor, contrabajista y director de orquesta es poseedor de otro hito de este siglo.

En mayo de 2001 se cumplen los primeros 42 años de "MINGUS AH UM" , Columbia 1959. Es el disco en que Mingus plasma con singular belleza los "desplazamientos" y "condensaciones" de su entera humanidad. Deja fluir sin pudores a Duke Ellington entre sus enormes texturas sincopadas, huye y regresa uno y mil equidistantes senderos, entre rústicos y elegantes. Mingus plantea en "Mingus Ah UM" su manifiesto total.

Si bien nunca antes había poseído el disco, lo tenía grabado en caset, y casi todos sus temas en otros Compactos de recopilación o en versiones más modernas, o en vivo o en versiones piratas. Pero no tenía el "Mingus Ah Um" en su entera totalidad, con su inalterable orden de canciones ni su peculiar y alentadora acústica. Por fin tengo el "Mingus Ah Um" en mis manos, en mi reproductor de discos, será mejor. Y la música de los primeros acordes de "Better git it in your soul" que se me manifiestan límpidos, profundos y perfectamente amados. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" inunda mi pequeño cosmos de libros y discos, de cuadros y fotografias como

queriendo decirme que ha pasado a formar parte del resto de mi existencia. Y así "Self portrair in three colors", "Fables of Faubus" (recomiendo versión con Lionel Hampton casi 20 años después)

Si hay hitos en la cultura de este Siglo, el Jazz es uno de ellos y de hitos musicales este disco de Mingus es junto a dos o tres más, quizás el más represantativo del sentir de esa cultura afroamericana tan postergada, discriminada, creativa y luminosa. Arraigado en su historia mirando el Fin de Siglo.

Salud por Mingus. Salud por el "Mingus Ah Um" que por fin lo tengo en mi discoteca.

Como "La Consagración de la Primavera" (1912, Igor Stravinskij) hay hitos en la música de este siglo. Charles Mingus Jr., nacido en Nogales, Arizona (¿alguien pensó que en el Nogales que esta cerca del Túnel El Melón?) en 1922 y falleció en 1979 en Cuernavaca, México; pianista, compositor, contrabajista y director de orquesta es poseedor de otro hito de este siglo.

En mayo de 2001 se cumplen los primeros 42 años de "MINGUS AH UM" , Columbia 1959. Es el disco en que Mingus plasma con singular belleza los "desplazamientos" y "condensaciones" de su entera humanidad. Deja fluir sin pudores a Duke Ellington entre sus enormes texturas sincopadas, huye y regresa uno y mil equidistantes senderos, entre rústicos y elegantes. Mingus plantea en "Mingus Ah UM" su manifiesto total.

Si bien nunca antes había poseído el disco, lo tenía grabado en caset, y casi todos sus temas en otros Compactos de recopilación o en versiones más modernas, o en vivo o en versiones piratas. Pero no tenía el "Mingus Ah Um" en su entera totalidad, con su inalterable orden de canciones ni su peculiar y alentadora acústica. Por fin tengo el "Mingus Ah Um" en mis manos, en mi reproductor de discos, será mejor. Y la música de los primeros acordes de "Better git it in your soul" que se me manifiestan límpidos, profundos y perfectamente amados. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" inunda mi pequeño cosmos de libros y discos, de cuadros y fotografias como

queriendo decirme que ha pasado a formar parte del resto de mi existencia. Y así "Self portrair in three colors", "Fables of Faubus" (recomiendo versión con Lionel Hampton casi 20 años después)

Si hay hitos en la cultura de este Siglo, el Jazz es uno de ellos y de hitos musicales este disco de Mingus es junto a dos o tres más, quizás el más represantativo del sentir de esa cultura afroamericana tan postergada, discriminada, creativa y luminosa. Arraigado en su historia mirando el Fin de Siglo.

Salud por Mingus. Salud por el "Mingus Ah Um" que por fin lo tengo en mi discoteca.

The first track says it all: "Better get it into Your Soul." This is soul-stirring, head-thumping, body-shaking stuff. Insistent, penetrating, simply inspired. Hard to compare it to anything, really, although it has elements of bebop, blues, gospel, and that crazy no-holds-barred spirit of funk. One of my top ten jazz cuts.

The famous "Goodbye Porkpie Hat," a tribute to Lester Young, is a quieter blues-based piece, centered around soulfully played sax. Emotionally, it's both sad and affectionate. "Boogie Stop Shuffle" sounds like the soundtrack to some weird 60's spy movie --with Mingus, expect the unexpected! Excellent piano by Horace L. Parlan, Jr. driven along by the lionesque Mingus on bass. Self-portrait in "Three Colors" and "Open Letter to Duke" feature brilliant Ellingtonian arrangements and warm colors. The latter piece has superb boppish sax-riffs, settles into a richly colored niche, and then breaks into some rhythmic and melodic audacity.

Mingus' brilliant, daring "Fables of Faubus" retains its mocking tone, but is less political than the vocal version on the magnificent "Live at Antibes." It's an interesting contrast to his bold (courageous, even) attack on Governor Faubus in the live version, and, again, shows Ellington's influence in its beautifully complex arrangement. "Pussy Cat Dues" and "Jelly Roll" deliver a New Orleans laid-back sound. On `Dues,' Mingus lays down some languid, monumental bass effects. It's thick luxurious sleaze, sliced through with the purity and strength of the sax.

One of the best of the studio albums, although, frankly, I like them all. An innovator, an explorer, a trailblazer, he is truly a genius. You'll find more and more to appreciate with every listening. Most highly recommended to the Mingus fan as well as the most hesitant newcomer

This was my first real intro to Mingus and I gotta say that Ah Um is some solid work by the man himself.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful, most heartfelt, and most influencial jazz recordings ever made. Please don't rate the music's quality based upon the tonal discrepancies of your electronic equipment.

Goodbye, Porkpie CD player!

OK - let me explain. The songs are fantastic, very inventive, with combinations of blues, swing and bop. The musicianship is first-rate. The CD sounds great in my car, but when I play it on my home system, it sounds flat, harsh, and muddled. I have this same album on vinyl (and, no, this is not a vinyl vs CD sound quality rant)which presents excellent spacing of instruments and details that don't exist on the CD. I do not understand why an engineer would go back to the original tapes, use high-bit transfer capability, and then compress the signal and remove any of the potential sound advantages that exist within the source and technology. I have many CD's that sound great on my system, this one is a disappointment.

This is not only remastered, but actually the takes are restored to their original splendor without the tape edits made for time on the original LP version. Hence the remastering gets to the original tapes, a generation back from what we had heard before, and we get a clean warm beautiful sound on this issue that makes you feel as if you're right in the studio. Previous versions of the album (and the original CD issue) were swamped in reverb, but here we get closer to the music actually played by Mingus' band.

The recordings are great. I don't consider them the pinnacle of Mingus (I prefer his bluesier Atlantic recordings) but they are great and this restoration is full of mood, full of craft, and long overdue.

Every tune on this album, one of the few which the composer recorded for Columbia in the early 60s, is a classic, from the opening exhuberant chaos of "Better Get It Your Soul" to the mourful "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" to the bitingly satrical "Fables of Faubus," a subtle polemic directed against Gov. Orval E. Faubus, the infamous opponent of integration. Mingus's compositional skills and power as a bandleader really shine here, and performances by both the bassist and his slew of talented artists like Jimmy Knepper. Dannie richmond, Don Butterfield et al. make this record into one of Mingus's best. For those unfamiliar with Mingus's work, this is a great place to start, but is also a must-have for the dedicated fan.