Monday, January 16, 2017

Charles Mingus' Meditations on Integration - 1963

Submitted:  1963 was a watershed year for music.



Further Submitted: the four most significant bands to emerge in 1963 were: the second Miles Davis Quintet w/Hancock, Shorter, Carter and Tony Williams; The Coltrane Quartet w/ Tyner, Elvin and Garrison, The Beatles (I can't remember the personnel) and the Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy, Jaki Byard, Booker Ervin, and Danny Richmond and Johnny Coles. 

Each of these bands stand among the most vital and influential in any genre of music from their day to this. 

The Mingus band, the least well known among them featured two of the greatest innovators in jazz history with Mingus'compositions and bass and multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. They also featured another first rank Hall of Famer in pianist Jaki Byard, and perennial all star Booker Ervin on tenor, Danny Richmond, the Keeper of the Flame, on drums. 

Their legacy is virtually unparalleled. They are deserving of a wider, extended hearing. 

This clip is from Mingus' 1964 European tour. The piece is alternately known as Meditations on Integration and/or Prayer for Peace.  








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