Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um (Columbia) 1959 by Kurt Hernon

No other single jazz record from hard bop’s heyday, a genealogical forefather of rockroll to come, could have approached the startling pronouncement about the looming pop and rockroll phenomenon as did Charles Mingus’ Mingus Ah Um. No other jazz record could have been so precisely prescient as to the popular focus of song, the “single”, so as to have kicked itself off with two gargantuan and forceful statements of purpose like “Better Git it in Your Soul” and “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”. Had the “A” side and “B” side 45 rpm record been at its utter peak in popularity, and had these two songs been given the treatment, they would easily have stood up to any of early rockroll’s proudest moments and dwarfed the moment. If ever there were such a thing, Mingus Ah Um would be the jazz record for rockrollers to cut their teeth on.

Mingus was a different sort of cat; he was a rebel amongst rebellious musicians. He was the most punk amongst all of his fellow jazz punk pioneers. He was a musician who was thoroughly lost in the music of his mind. He was a purist who threw purity out the window (witness the joyously howled “oooh yeah’s” underneath the driving power of “Better Git”!). He was the giant of giants in a land and time filled with them. Charles Mingus was rockroll music before anyone pretending to understand such things even had the slightest notion what rocking and rolling was really all about. And in that, Ah Um is the most accessible music in a life filled with towering achievement.

So while the punch/counter punch of the opening two tracks may have come across as the re-defining of jazz as a music that could be about the endless possibilities of recorded songcraft, it doesn’t take too much more time spent listening to hear the thumping proof that Mingus wasn’t just messing around with possibilities - he meant it, and “Boogie Stop Shuffle”, “Open Letter to Duke”, “Jelly Roll”, and the other four tracks on Ah Um serve as startling yet gripping proof. Absolutely indispensible.

Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (Columbia) 1963 by Kurt Hernon

This is where it all comes together for Mingus. The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is his finest artistic moment, and for me is by far his finest and greatest achievement. Black Saint is the noir-ish explosion of Charles Mingus’ soul - a musical Jackson Pollack from a palette that had splashes of everything that fueled the man’s intense passions, anger, hatred, love, adoration, joy, machismo, sexuality, energy, and soul.

Done in four “tracks” or “modes” Black Saint plays out as a noir-ish big screen high drama production. It is filled with more tragedy, more humor, more pathos, more elation, and more depth than most any motion picture could ever dream of generating.

When the chaos of “track A”, Solo Dancer melts away into the piano led and plot thickening “track B” (humorously title “Duet Solo Dancers”) the impossibility of not becoming swept up into Mingus’ wild storytelling is urgently obvious. The entire movement of music becomes an edge of your seat affair that is as breathtaking as it is anticipatory. Where is it all going? What will happen next? How, where, or when does it all end up?

Answers are sought, but they are never evident. Such is the indisputable genius of Mingus. His well is the human spirit, his thirst insatiable - just be glad he found a way to share his gifts, of which Black Saint is the most precious.

Dave Brubeck: Time Out (1959) Pianist Brubeck's masterpiece. Melodic, understated jazz at its finest.

John Coltrane: Love Supreme (1964) Mr. Coltrane was a passionate, religious man. The fury and love that Coltrane translates with his saxophone is truly groundbreaking on this release. From the typos in the liner notes, to the meteoric, blistering runs, to the tempo changes and to the pulling and stretching of the compositions, this recording is the summit for Coltrane. He sees God, and he tries to take you with him. If you think I'm exaggerating and you have never heard this, have some faith and buy it today.

Miles Davis: Kind of Blue (1959) Simple jazz and the base for all subsequent improvisational jazz recordings. Maybe the most important jazz recording of all time. As you listen, it's like watching the car chase scene in The French Connection: you think he is going to crash and implode on himself, but when your ears think he is just too far out there, he pulls you in, saving you from the fatal collision.

Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby & Live at the Village Vanguard (1961) The ultimate Sunday am recording, which is apropos where the recording was made on a Sunday p.m. Relaxed, intricate, powerful and tight. This is the best jazz trio recording of all time, and Evans was the ultimate jazz pianist.

Thelonious Monk: Brilliant Corners (1956) Perfect name for this recording which turns on a dime throughout the compositions, leaving your ears fresh. An acknowledged masterpiece.

Sarah Vaughan: Sarah Vaughan (1954) Her debut featured the great trumpeter Clifford Brown. A great example of why she is considered one of the greatest vocalists ever.

Dinah Washington: For Those In Love (1955) Another vocalist in the truly great category.

Mel Tormé: Swings Shubert Alley (1960) This recording shows why Torme' was considered possibly the greatest jazz singer of all time.

Ella Fitzgerald: The Complete Ella in Berlin: Mack the Knife Only one woman deserves the title of best vocalist, and this recording proves that Ms. Fitzgerald was it.

Anything by Louis Armstrong Everything starts with Mr. Armstrong. For me, the popular music timeline goes right from "Suwanee River" by Stephen Foster to Armstrong. No artist from *any* era is more important than he is .

Billie Holiday: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia (1933-1944) 10 CDs chronicling one of the most talented and troubled artists of all time.

Frank Sinatra: In The Wee Small Hours You can hear his vocal command. Others had better voices, but Mr. Sinatra knew how to stay within his range, and when he did, it was magic.

Frank Sinatra: Songs for Swingin' Lovers "I've Got You Under My Skin" and other swing classics. If you remember Sinatra smiling and snapping his fingers, this is the CD.

Frank Sinatra: Only The Lonely Sinatra had just divorced Ava Gardner, the love of his life. The greatest lonely, heart-on-your-sleeve recording ever. He was really sad during these sessions, and you feel it; you really feel it.

Frank Sinatra: Sinatra At The Sands One of the greatest live recordings ever. It is as intense as James Brown, Live at the Apollo in its own way.