180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl! Pressed at Pallas in Germany!
“Let My Children Hear Music” contains the powerful “Hobo Ho” and”Adagio Ma Non Troppo” which is based on a piano improvisation by Mingus in1964.
“On the original LP issued by Columbia, Mingus thanked producer Teo Macero for”his untiring efforts in producing the best album I have ever made.” From hisdeathbed in Mexico in 1979 he sent a message to Sy Johnson (who was responsiblefor many of the arrangements on the album), saying that Let My Children HearMusic was the record he liked most from his career. Although Mingus’ small-grouprecordings are the ones most often cited as his premier works, this album does,in fact, rank at the top of his oeuvre and compares favorably with the finestlarge-ensemble jazz recordings by anyone, including Ellington. The pieces hadbeen brewing over the years, one from as far back as 1939, and had been givenmore or less threadbare performances on occasion, but this was his first chanceto record them with a sizable, well-rehearsed orchestra. Still, there weredifficulties, both in the recording and afterward. The exact personnel issketchy, largely due to contractual issues, several arrangers were imported topaste things together, making the true authorship of some passages questionable,and Macero (as he did with various Miles Davis projects) edited freely andsometimes noticeably. The listener will happily put aside all quibbles, however,when the music is heard. From the opening, irresistible swing of “The Shoes ofthe Fisherman’s Wife Are Some Jiveass Slippers” to the swirling depths of “The Iof Hurricane Sue,” these songs are some of the most glorious, imaginative, andfull of life ever recorded. Each piece has its own strengths, but specialmention should be made of two. “Adagio Ma Non Troppo” is based entirely on apiano improvisation played by Mingus in 1964 and issued on Mingus Plays Piano.Its logical structure, playful nature, and crystalline moments of beauty wouldbe astounding in a polished composition; the fact that it was originallyimprovised is almost unbelievable. “Hobo Ho,” a holy-roller powerhouse featuringthe impassioned tenor of James Moody, reaches an incredible fever pitch, thebacking horns volleying riff after riff at the soloists, the entire compositionteetering right on the edge of total chaos. Let My Children Hear Music is atowering achievement and a must for any serious jazz fan. Included is the essaythat accompanied the album. That essay, covering enormous territory, reads likean inspired Mingus bass solo and should be sought out by interested listeners.One can’t recommend this album highly enough.” – Brian Olewnick
Features:
180g Vinyl
Pressed at Pallas in Germany
Limited Edition
Re-mastering by Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London
Musicians:
Charles Mingus, bass
Lonnie Hillyer, trumpet
Jimmy Nottingham, trumpet
Joe Wilder, trumpet
Snooky Young, trumpet
Jimmy Knepper, trombone
Julius Watkins, French horn
Charles McPherson, alto saxophone
Jerry Dodgion, reeds
Bobby Jones, tenor
Hal McKusick, reeds
James Moody, reeds
Jaki Byard, piano
John Foster, piano
Roland Hanna, piano
Charles McCracken, cello
Ron Carter, bass
Richard Davis, bass
Milt Hinton, bass
Dannie Richmond, drums
Teo Macero, alto saxophone, conductor
Selections:
1. The Shoes of the Fisherman’s Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers
2. Adagio Ma Non Troppo
3. Don’t Be Afraid, The Clown’s Afraid Too
4. Hobo Ho
5. The Chill of Death
6. The I of Hurricane Sue
Recorded September 23 & 30, October 1st, and November 18, 1971.
