A vivid, swinging survey of jazz tradition through Mingus's restless imagination, from the elegiac 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat' to gospel-charged blowing. Endlessly rich. One of the great large-group records. Released in 1959, it's a key entry in Charles Mingus's run.
On vinyl: Original pressings are collector's territory now, so most listeners reach for a well-reviewed reissue.
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- Goodbye Pork Pie Hat on Best Jazz Songs of All Time
We don't reproduce full tracklists — only the songs from this record we've featured in our best-of lists.
More from Charles Mingus — where to go next
If you have Mingus Ah Um, these are the Charles Mingus records worth reaching for next.
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1
Pithecanthropus Erectus1956 · JazzStart here
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2
Mingus Ah Um1959 · you're viewing this oneClassic
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3
Blues & Roots1960 · JazzClassic
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4
Tijuana Moods1962 · JazzClassic
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5
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady1963 · JazzClassic