From: ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com (andrew.j.whitman)
Subject: Re: Mingus Mingus Mingus (was Re: Johnny-boy wants to play too!)
Organization: AT&T
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 15:45:46 GMT

In article <92354.161334MURPH@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> M.A. Murphy <MURPH@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> writes:
>In article <1992Dec18.141134.2319@cbnews.cb.att.com>, ajw@cbnews.cb.att.com (andrew.j.whitman) says:
>>
>>What I *don't* recommend is the recent Hal Willner tribute to Mingus
>>entitled "Weird Nightmare."  I didn't think it was possible to castrate
>>Mingus' music, but Willner has found a way to do it.  Mingus' music
>>was ballsy, in-your-face stuff, and Willner has concocted an hour
>>of atmospheric noodling.  Open letter to Hal:  give it up, Bud.
>>You blew it with Monk, and now you've blow it with Mingus.  Stick
>>to pop artists, where you do fine.
>
>We must agree to disagree here, then.  I enjoyed this album immensely.
>My quickie review/comments for WMEB purposes follow here.
>
>->Hal Willner has put together an odd cast of characters to pay tribute
>->to jazz legend Charles Mingus.  Some luminaries from the New York
>->avante/jazz/noise scene serve as a core group or house band for the project.
>->Among them are Bill Frisell, Marc Ribot, Art Baron, Don Alias and Michael
>->Blair.  Others who pitch in on various instruments here and there are
>->Don Byron, Gary Lucas, Vernon Reid, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards.
>->Lending their throats to the project are Robbie Robertson, Elvis
>->Costello, Henry Rollins, Chuck D., Richards, Bernard Fowler, Diamanda
>->Galas and Dr. John.  The results are often amazing, shrinking the
>->music to its essence and then expanding freely in the directions
>->that individual performers pursue.  These performances combine raw,
>->primordial sounds and feelings with equal amounts of elegance, at the
>->expense of neither.  This is one of the best releases of 1992.  It is
>->easily the best compilation album of 1992.
>
>All IMHO, of course...

Well, you're right, I think we're going to have to simply disagree on
this one.  I had high expectations for Willner's tribute, and part
of my disappointment may be a reflection of those high expectations.
Even so, I find much to *dislike* about "Weird Nightmare," and
very little to like.

The primary source of disgruntlement comes from the fact that Willner's
version of Mingus' music has very little to do with the music Mingus 
actually made.  Aside from the titles and the barest sketch of some
of Mingus' melodies, "Weird Nightmare" has nothing to do with Mingus'
music at all.  Mingus' music was vibrant, forceful, often angry.
Willner's is mood music for poetry buffs.  Mingus was a great musician
and composer who tried hard and failed to be a poet.  Willner presents
Mingus first and foremost as a poet (big mistake), and only 
secondarily as a musician.  And most of the musicians and vocalists
just don't "get" Mingus' music at all.  The biggest offenders, in
my opinion, are Bill "Noodle" Frisell, Robbie Robertson, and 
Elvis Costello.

I don't expect tribute albums to be loving re-creations of the original
music.  If they were I wouldn't buy them.  On the other hand, I expect
the music to share at least the same spirit as the originals.  
I like what Willner has done with Disney music and Brecht/Weill music,
and I'm always excited when I hear that he's trying to work his
magic with one of my jazz heroes.  But I've been sorely disappointed
in both the Monk and Mingus tributes (the Mingus more so than the Monk),
and I really think that Willner is out of his element when he tries
to tackle jazz.  Sorry, but "Weird Nightmare" still goes on my list
as one of the most *disappointing* albums of 1992.

>                                            Murph
>
>                                            Michael A. Murphy
>                                            MURPH@MAINE.BITNET
>
>If you do not understand my silence
>you will not understand my words.

Andy Whitman
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus, Ohio
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