From: wjh@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (william.j.hery)
Subject: Re: MINGUS,BRUBECK QUESTION
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 13:40:46 GMT

kopti@seas.gwu.edu (Juzer T. Kopti) writes:
>  I have a record by MINGUS that I picked up from a 
>  second hand record dealer. the record is called
>  'TONIGHT AT NOON'.It does not say on the sleeve

You found a nice rarity--who was the dealer? It sounds like one who
should be on the list of record shops I post here periodically.

>  when it was recorded. Could some one give a brief 
>  history of this recording.I have gone through many
>  jazz books but there is no mention about this album.

TaN contains material from two disparate recording sessions, and went
out of print almost as soon as it was issued in the mid 60s.

PASSIONS OF A WOMAN LOVED and TONIGHT AT NOON were recorded 3/12/57 with
Mingus, Knepper, Shafi Hadi, Wade Legge, and Danny Richmond. The rest of
the material from this session (BLUE CEE, REINCARNATION OF A LOVEBIRD,
HAITIAN FIGHT SONG) was originally released on the album THE CLOWN (along
with the title piece). I will never forgive Atlantic for not re-uniting
this material on the CD reissue of THE CLOWN--at least not until they
reissue it again, all together.

The recording of TONIGHT AT NOON was also released on the Atlantic
compilation PASSIONS OF A MAN. It is also on an Italian compilation
called CHARLES MINGUS DI PINO CANDINI (I Grande Del Jazz 74).

Back to the TaN album: OLD BLUES FOR WALT TORIN, INVISIBLE LADY, and
PEGGY'S BLUE SKYLIGHT were recorded 11/6/62 with Mingus on piano (!),
Knepper, Yusef Lateef, Roland Kirk, Doug Watkins (how would you like
to be the bassist on a Mingus album!), and Danny Richmond. The rest of
the material from that session was released as the OH YEAH album; the
CD reissue again did not reunite the material, but it did include an
interview with Mingus.

>  Are there any BRUBECK fans out there.H as anyone heard
>  an album by BRUBECK called 'JAZZ IMPRESSIONS OF EURASIA'
>  This a really fabulous album [again not mentioned in many
>  jazz books].Has anyone heard 'JAZZ IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA'
>  If albums like 'KIND OF BLUE,GIANT STEPS,BETTER GIT IN
>  YOUR SOUL etc were given a rating of 10/10, how would
>  jazz....america would be rated by you. This will help me
>  decide to buy the cd

Well, I got introduced to jazz through Brubeck albums and I'm
familiar with the Brubeck's you mention. But I have grown away from
any real interest in Brubeck over the years; I'll have to admit
to not having listened to these albums for quite a while (in fact, I
no longer have Eurasia: I loaned it to someone and it was stolen
from his car; it was out of print by then, and the guy was my dissertation
advisor, so what could I do :-( ).

I agree with KIND OF BLUE, GIANT STEPS, BETTER GIT IT IN YOUR SOUL as
10/10 albums. I wouldn't put any Brubecks at above 6/10, though. Eurasia
wa probably one of the best (certainly much better than his stiff attempts
at odd time signatures and polyrhythms that were his best sellers). My
recollection of USA was that it was not as interesting as Eurasia, but
was somewhat better than most Brubecks. But these comments are coming from 
someone who is admittedly no longer a fan of Brubeck.

Bill Hery
AT&T Bell Labs
201-386-2362
hery@att.COM
Xref: sparky rec.music.bluenote:9488 rec.music.makers.bass:426