Duke Ellington - Money Jungle Original Vinyl 1963 Very Good MONO
$
36
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
Money Jungle is a studio album by pianist Duke Ellington with double bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach. It was recorded on September 17, 1962, and released in February 1963 by United Artists Jazz.[1] All but one of the compositions were written by Ellington, with four of the seven on the original LP being recorded for the first time on this album. Later releases on CD added eight tracks from the same recording session.
Monaural (mono) uaj (United Artist Jazz) 14017. Copyright 1962 United Artists. Released in 1963.
Produced by Alan Douglas. New York, NY.
The album was reviewed positively at the time of its release and subsequent reviews have remained highly favorable. Negative comments have concentrated on differences in playing style among the three musicians, brought about by the generational gap between Ellington and the others, and an argument that led to Mingus leaving the studio mid-session. Hundreds of musicians have been influenced by the recording, in particular by the freedom of individual expression within a small-group setting.
MINGUS-ROACH-ELLINGTON
At the time of the 1962 recording, Ellington was 63 years old, while Mingus was 40 and Roach 38.[2]:33 The generational difference was strengthened by Ellington being a guiding figure for the other two,[4] who were born when Ellington was becoming an influence on music.[5] In 1962, Ellington did not have a recording contract, while Mingus was signed to United Artists.[6] According to Roach, the three musicians met the day before the recording, and Ellington told them to "Think of me as the poor man's Bud Powell" and that he would not like to play only his own material.[7]
The original LP was released by United Artists Jazz in 1963 in mono and stereo versions.[1] United Artists was bought by EMI in 1979, and subsidiary Blue Note Records reissued the album on CD in 1987.[14] This contained more recordings from the same session: four previously unreleased works written for the session, plus two alternative takes. The order presented in this edition was that in which the songs were recorded. The sound quality of the original recording was improved for the 2002 Blue Note CD release by engineer Ron McMaster, using the original tapes and 24-bit remastering,[11] adding clarity to the drums in particular.[15] For this release, the first seven songs were arranged in their original order, with the other four songs and four alternative takes placed afterward, increasing the number of tracks to 15.
Duke Ellington surprised the jazz world in 1962 with his historic trio session featuring Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Not in a mood to simply rework older compositions, the bulk of the LP focused on music he wrote specifically for the session. "Money Jungle" is a thunderous opener, a blues that might be classified somewhere between post-bop and avant-garde. The gem of the date is the fragile, somewhat haunting ballad "Fleurette Africaine," where Mingus' floating bassline and Roach's understated drumming add to the mystique of an Ellington work that has slowly been gathering steam among jazz musicians as a piece worth exploring more often. "Very Special" is a jaunty upbeat blues, while the angular, descending line of "Wig Wise" also proves to be quite catchy. Ellington also revisits "Warm Valley" (a lovely ballad indelibly associated with Johnny Hodges) and an almost meditative "Solitude." Thunderous percussion and wild basslines complement a wilder-than-usual approach to "Caravan." Every jazz fan should own a copy of this sensational recording session. ALLMUSIC
price rating
