Let My Children Hear Music
Ambitious is perhaps the best way to sum up this 1971 large-ensemble recording. It hearkens back toBlack Saint and the Sinner Ladyin some important respects--chiefly the sense of vertical sprawl in the tunes, the sheer presence of so many instruments doing so much at the same time. It also importantly pointed to the omnipresence ofDuke Ellingtonas an orchestral influence. Mingus scores the baritone sax the way Ellington had done, as part rhythm, part road marker, and part stir stick for the swirls of energy generated on tracks like "Hobo Ho." The sessions forLet My Childrenremain blurred as far as detail goes, but it's clear that James Moody and Bobby Jones do spectacular jobs soloing amid a dense crowd of ensemble movements and passages. And the version of "The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife" is so heartfelt and moving that you almost miss the monumental complexity of the piece.--Andrew Bartlett