Classic Recordings, Charles Mingus - The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady

Charles Mingus is one of those artists where I could easily write a classic review for several albums in his catalogue. The enigmatic bandleader, composer, pianist and (primarily) double bassist has a wealth of fantastic records under his belt; with 1959’s post-bop classic Mingus Ah Um and 1963’s haunting jazz ballet The Black Saint and the Sinner becoming the landmark releases. Whilst many tunes from Mingus Ah Um would go on to be some of Mingus’s best-known entries into the jazz standard canon, Black Saint is less of a straight-ahead jazz record and more a showcase of Mingus’s composition and arrangement chops.

Featuring an ensemble of twelve musicians including Mingus himself, there’s some Ellingtonian big-band flavour thrown in there, with dense horn arrangements and even a pinch of classical guitar to break up some of the dances as the album progresses. I love how Mingus’s compositions on this record really emphasise the lower register of his instrumentation at times. Tunes like Duet Solo Dancers have a dark, sleazy swagger to them, while the voicing of the horns really gives the tunes proper space and a full texture. It’s well-documented that Mingus was equally as meticulous with his overdubbing as he was with the compositions themselves; he’d expect nothing but the best performances from his band, and as a result this record doesn’t miss a beat. Even in the face of various tempo changes - particularly towards the latter half of the record, the players manage to find their way back through even the most ‘out’ sections.

The way Mingus uses his returning motifs, multi-faceted structures and ensemble feels like a step outside traditional jazz sensibilities, almost classical in a sense; Mingus himself would refer to his group as making “ethnic folk-dance music” when describing Black Saint. For me it’s the density of the arrangements, as well as Mingus’s signature melodic sensibilities coupled with the motivic structure, that make this the most rewarding release in his catalogue. It’s as uproarious as it is romantic and elegant, and a compositional treat from start to finish, besides being an essential listen for even those unfamiliar with Charles Mingus’s work.