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. The Charles Mingus record for listeners ready to go beyond the debut.
On vinyl: Pre-'60s originals are collector's items — a well-mastered reissue is usually the better buy.
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- Goodbye Pork Pie Hat on Best Jazz Songs of All Time, Best Jazz Songs of All Time, Best 1950s Jazz Songs
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
Minus Some Fish1955 · JazzClassic
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3
Mingus Ah Um1959 · you're viewing this oneClassic
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4
Blues & Roots1960 · JazzClassic
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5
Tijuana Moods1962 · JazzClassic