Charles Mingus - Moanin’ (1959)
Someday, in some alternative universe, I’d like to walk into a store or restaurant or coffee shop or public space, and instead of being subjected to the usual shitty Muzak, mindlessly repetitive satellite radio, or the current top-40 pop drivel that all sounds the same, I’d like to hear this, because this is what music really sounds like and why people need to hear it.
Charles Mingus - Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting (1959)
From the mouth of Mingus:
“This record is unusual—it presents only one part of my musical world, the blues. A year ago, Nesuhi Ertegün suggested that I record an entire blues album in the style of “Haitian Fight Song,” because some people, particularly critics, were saying I didn’t swing enough. He wanted to give them a barrage of soul music: churchy, blues, swinging, earthy. I thought it over. I was born swinging and clapped my hands in church as a little boy, but I’ve grown up and I like to do things other than just swing. But blues can do more than just swing. So I agreed.”
