I Am Three
The Mingus Big Band, in itâ€™s various forms, has continued to keep the music of Charles Mingus throbbingly, if not bitingly, alive.I Am Three, issued on the new label of his widow Sue Mingus, departs from past recordings. This time around the 14-man group shares the load with the unconventional 10-man Mingus Orchestra and the Mingus Dynasty septet. You need a personnel chart to keep all the players straight. They include such mainstays as trumpeters Jack Walrath and Randy Brecker, saxophonist Craig Handy and trombonist Ku-umba Frank Lacy, along with such relative newcomers as pianist Orrin Evans, trumpeter Kenny Rampton and saxophonist Miguel Zenon. For all their soloing prowess, their most notable achievement is capturing Mingus' riff-happy spirit, love of bold, off center arrangements and lyrical interplay between darkness and light. The highlights include "Todo Modo," a characteristically episodic tune written for an Italian film. "Tensions" is another rarity on which Russian bassist Boris Kozlov proves a worthy Mingus surrogate playing the legend's  actual instrument. "Pedal Point Blues,' features the great baritone saxophonist Ronnie Cuber, and the exuberant, always enriching "Song with Orange."--Lloyd Sachs