Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus (2LP, 45RPM, Mono, Atlantic 75 Series)
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Charles Mingus - Bass [click here to see more Vinyl/SACD featuring Charles Mingus]
Jackie McLean - Alto Saxophone [click here to see more Vinyl/SACD featuring Jackie McLean]
J.R. Monterose - Tenor Saxophone
Mal Waldron - Piano [click here to see more Vinyl/SACD featuring Mal Waldron]
Willie Jones - Drums
Written by Charles Mingus (A1, C1, D1), George & Ira Gershwin (B1)
2 LP, gatefold jacket
Limited Edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Mono
Studio
Record Press : QRP
Label : Analogue Productions - Atlantic 75 Series
Original Label : Atlantic
Recorded January 1956 at Audio-Video Studios, New York City by Tom Dowd & Hal Lustig
Production: Nesuhi Ertegun
Originally released in 1956
Reissued in 2024
Tracks :
Side A:
- Pithecanthropus Erectus
Side B:
- A Foggy Day
Side C:
- Profile of Jackie
Side D:
- Love Chant
Reviews :
« Pithecanthropus Erectus was Charles Mingus' breakthrough as a leader, the album where he established himself as a composer of boundless imagination and a fresh new voice that, despite his ambitiously modern concepts, was firmly grounded in jazz tradition. Mingus truly discovered himself after mastering the vocabularies of bop and swing, and with Pithecanthropus Erectus he began seeking new ways to increase the evocative power of the art form and challenge his musicians (who here include altoist Jackie McLean and pianist Mal Waldron) to work outside of convention. The title cut is one of his greatest masterpieces: a four-movement tone poem depicting man's evolution from pride and accomplishment to hubris and slavery and finally to ultimate destruction. The piece is held together by a haunting, repeated theme and broken up by frenetic, sound-effect-filled interludes that grow darker as man's spirit sinks lower. It can be a little hard to follow the story line, but the whole thing seethes with a brooding intensity that comes from the soloist's extraordinary focus on the mood, rather than simply flashing their chops. Mingus' playful side surfaces on "A Foggy Day (In San Francisco)," which crams numerous sound effects (all from actual instruments) into a highly visual portrait, complete with honking cars, ringing trolleys, sirens, police whistles, change clinking on the sidewalk, and more. This was the first album where Mingus tailored his arrangements to the personalities of his musicians, teaching the pieces by ear instead of writing everything out. Perhaps that's why Pithecanthropus Erectus resembles paintings in sound -- full of sumptuous tone colors learned through Duke Ellington, but also rich in sonic details that only could have come from an adventurous modernist. And Mingus plays with the sort of raw passion that comes with the first flush of mastery. Still one of his greatest. » AllMusic Review by Steve Huey
It was a fairly ordinary quintet that entered the Audio-Video Studios in New York City on 30 January 1956: one tenor saxophone, one alto saxophone, a pianist, a drummer and ... you guessed: an extraordinary man on the double bass! Not just an instrumentalist, but also an imaginative composer, wayfarer between all kinds of jazz, arranger and enfant terrible.
The Suite "Pithecanthropus Erectus" is – among other things – programme music. Having learned to walk upright, having achieved alleged superiority over animals, and having caused devastation, the destruction of mankind’s natural resources follows. The composer Mingus gives his fellow mankind/musicians the widest possible freedom, which all exploit to the full both in interplay and in the solos. Bedded down in noise and sound collages, the piece is the result of an experimental workshop. The Gershwin classic "A Foggy Day" takes on the role of intermediary between the jazz styles of the 1930s and free jazz. And in "Profile Of Jackie" and "Love Chant" the arranger calls for his soloists to go to the very limits of their artistic improvisation.
Charles Mingus was certainly not an easy person to deal with for his family, friends and fellow musicians. But that fades into the background when it comes to such outstanding music. Luckily, we outsiders can once again enjoy the music of this genius 60 years after the studio recording, in its original format.
Mingus truly discovered himself after mastering the vocabularies of bop and swing, and with Pithecanthropus Erectus he began seeking new ways to increase the evocative power of the art form and challenge his musicians (who here include altoist Jackie McLean and pianist Mal Waldron) to work outside of convention.
Mingus's relationship with Atlantic would yield many of his greatest recordings. Cut in 1956, Pithecanthropus Erectus was his first date for the label, and it provided something of a breakthrough for Mingus in his use of extended compositions: the 10-minute title track, and the lovely "Profile of Jackie," are among the bassist's finest recordings. The band is notable for the inclusion of the under-recorded tenor saxophonist J.R. Monterose.
The Penguin Guide to Jazz gives the album a maximum four-star rating and included it in its "core collection" of essential recordings, describing it as "One of the truly great modern jazz albums". In the same review, "the all-in ensemble work" in parts of the first track, "Pithecanthropus Erectus," is described as being "absolutely crucial to the development of free collective improvisation in the following decade."
Ratings :
AllMusic : 5 / 5 , Discogs :