Further Reading
21st April 2021
One of the most exciting trio recordings in jazz, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach's Money Jungle is the sound of three super-sized egos thrashing out their differences in the studio.
Limited edition 180gram audiophile pressing with 4 bonus tracks.
Presented here is the complete original album Money Jungle (United Artists UAS 15017), which was the only trio collaboration of Duke Ellington with Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Both youngsters greatly admired Duke. Ellington himself briefly featured Roach and Mingus in his band during the early 1950s, and expressed on multiple occasions his appreciation for the latter's compositions.
Most of the repertoire here was especially written for the date, while the only old tunes they recorded were "Warm Valley", "Caravan", and "Solitude". A complete 1953 Ellington trio session has been added as a bonus.
"Duke Ellington continues to be a most unpredictable and amazing musician. This album is astonishing - this is Ellington the soloist in some of the fastest company around. I've never heard Ellington play as he does on this album; Mingus and Roach, especially Mingus, push him so strongly that one can almost hear Ellington show them who's the boss - and he dominates both of them, which is no mean accomplishment. Like I said, Duke Ellington is an amazing musician." - Don DeMicheal, Down Beat *****
