Book Musik: Podcast on Charles Mingus's "Beneath the Underdog"

Tosh & Kimley discuss Beneath the Underdog: His World as Composed by Mingus, the memoir by iconic jazz musician and composer Charles Mingus. Mingus’s memoir is known for its picaresque telling of his childhood growing up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles and his travels to the California Bay Area as well as his time in New York City. While the book doesn’t give a lot of detail on his musical work or his playing with all the greats of his era, it does give an illuminating perspective on race and growing up and living as a black man in America in the twentieth century. Not to mention his many escapades with pimps, prostitutes and assorted other riveting characters. This book swings like few others!

Book Musik: Charles Mingus's Beneath The Underdog

Charles Mingus Apple Music Playlist

Charles Mingus Playlist on Spotify

Friday, April 5, 2019

People who know or think they know me will be surprised to know that I never heard a Charles Mingus album until today.  I went to Rockaway Records on Glendale Blvd, to purchase a British Electric Foundation (BEF) album, and by chance, I came upon Mingus' "Oh Yeah."   I have read that one of David Bowie's favorite albums was "Oh Yeah," and I'm starting a collection of 'Bowie's favorite albums.'   To know an artist you must know what that artist have read or listened to, or both. I played "Oh Yeah" twice in a row and found it to be incredibly charming.   I suspect that it's an unusual Mingus album because he sings on it, and plays the piano.  His main instrument (at least to the general public) is the bass.   I'm aware that he has put out an album called "Mingus Plays Piano," which is him improvising on the keyboard.  That should be an interesting listening experience. 

For the Please Kill Me website please kill me.com I'm writing a series on various music managers and how they influence or even made 'music culture.'   I'm doing all the obvious rock n' roll managers but will dwell into some of the more obscure hustlers and shakers that made a huge contribution to the music (and film) world.  I always had the obsession to see the Wizard at work behind the curtain, so this is something I'm looking forward to.  One of the key inspirations is a book by Johnny Rogan called "Starmakers & Svengalis" The History of British Pop Management."   In this book, he interviews the major managers of various rock n' roll figures and it is endlessly fascinating.  After I complete the rock n' roll managers, I'm thinking of doing a series on book publishers, who are equally interesting, and of course, all become tastemakers of sorts. 

Very rarely do I mention politics in my diary or journal due that I find that subject matter distasteful.  Not always, but since Trump became President, it seems such conversations become aimlessly inane. One thing he succeeds is to make politics into a vulgar spectacle.  It has always been tasteless, even at its best times, but this is true now on a decadent level.  To even comment on anything to do with that man becomes drawn into a level of stupidity that is hard to digest on an empty stomach.   As a practice or even a skill, I refuse to read or listen to any of his speeches, or interviews. When I do read about his administration it has to be a critique or straight journalism.   For one, whenever he opens his mouth a lie comes out, so therefore he's not a good source for information.  The irony, of course, is that he himself is 'fake' media.   He has nothing of value, and he cheapens the world around him.  A horror show takes place on a daily basis, and I just refuse to watch the pornography he produces on a regular basis. 

I'm feeling a touch under the weather.  I hope nothing 'sick' comes my way.  I want to stay busy by working. 

April 22, 2014

April 22, 2014

April 22, 2014

Yesterday I wandered around Mono Records and purchased a Paul Chambers album “Whims of Chambers” and a Charles Mingus’ “Mingus Ah Um.” I found myself in the mood to hear bass, so it was the perfect moment at a record store.  I also found this old recording by the violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and Benjamin Britten playing piano for the surviving inmates of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after its liberation in April 1945.    The recording is rough, but a very intense performance, and of course it came to mind that as a child, Menuhin lived with the Boris Vian family somewhere in the French countryside, during the depression that was hitting Europe at the time.   Also I knew the name of Britten, but never heard his music till yesterday.  Very sad, yet majestic.  

With the new music around me, I am struggling with a book I am writing, regarding Bette Page’s life after being used as a model.  It struck me that perhaps I’m not the right man to write such an intense life as Bette’s.  It is not the bondage images of her that I find attractive, but just her nude model shots that express a certain mood, and as I look at this image now, it is nice to have a soundtrack by Paul Chambers, whose bass playing skirts around the melody, and I feel I’m doing the same thing with Bette. 

As I get older I realize I have a strong melancholy attitude towards my life, and at times, I try not to think of it.  I focus on music or even literature, but of course, and with me, those two mediums are just a window to my soul.  One of the reasons why I like jazz so much is due to the foundation there, and the musician plays with the landscape to make it suitable for their temperament or pleasure.  I often hear a piece of music in my head, and I slowly eliminate certain instruments, where eventually I have just the skeleton of the melody that’s left over.  

Jack Nitzsche’s great score to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” stays in my mind as the perfect arrangement and the delicacy of the glass harp on the main theme is even more heartbreaking than the film.  I remember the grin on Jack Nicholson’s face, but nothing else in the film, except for the soundtrack, which remained with me for some reason.  I often find myself drifting into that gray cloud, and I’m watching down, and I think “surely there must be a better place.” 

My Favorite Albums of 2012 (on vinyl)

Part 2:

Also keep in mind this is what I listened to in 2012.  I rarely listen to brand new releases.

I found a Mono copy of this album at Brand Bookstore in Glendale.  $4 and I play it at least once a day.    Glenn Gould is such a remarkable player, and when he has Bach in front of him it is sort of like watching a great dance between the minds and fingers of these guys.   Gould always struck me as a jazz player for some reason, because he teases and pulls on the melody, its very sexy and what he leaves is a form of perfection.  Fantastic album.

On Charles Mingus' record label, this album captures a brilliant series of moments in a recording studio in 1955.  Moody, textural bliss.  It also features one of my all-time favorite songs "Nature Boy."  Teddy Charles plays vibes on this album, and it really adds a smokey existence that you can still feel after the needle leaves the vinyl.  Sort of the ultimate soundtrack for the first drink in the evening, but it is also very reflective and goes beyond the surface or one may say 'under the skin.'  All I know is when I play "Blue Moods" I get lost in my thoughts.   Elvin Jones on drums.

The Walker Brothers Live in Japan.  Recorded at Osaka Festival Hall January 2nd - 4th  and yeah, a wow.  This album was originally issued only in Japan.  What I have is a British re-issue that came out sometime in the 1980's and was given to me by my friend Stuart sometime in that era.  I sort of lost it among the books and other records, but discovered it recently and I put it on, and was taken to another world.  Loud audience noise of course, but the music and more important the voices come out ringing.  They do all their hits, as well as "Land of 1000 Dances" and "Ooh Poo Pah Doo."  A great snapshot of a time where Scott soon afterwards follows his instincts to a very different area of his mind or world.  A very rare record, and a very fantastic one as well.

"All Night Long" a JAZZ film by Basil Dearden

Sometime ago I bought "All Night Long"  as an import DVD, but now Criterion has put it out and its a really interesting film that captures early 60's British Jazz with Americans Charles Mingus and David Brubeck.  The film takes place at a British apartment full of jazz-heads and musicians.  Patrick McGoohan plays a drummer who has a band and is trying to snag a singer away from another combo - but alas this story is based on Othello and deals with the backstabbing of the music world ...of sorts.


Patrick McGoohan on drums!

Dave Brubeck

Charles Mingus

I have a vinyl of this album

So its a fantastic moment when I found a copy of this album. All is well in this world.

"But Beautiful" by Geoff Dyer (plus music)

Great jazz and good writing has been a wonderful combination for many years now.   So by even its cover I knew this book is going to of some interest.  Geoff Dyer has a real appreciation for the visual imagery of jazz - meaning that his writing is almost a series of snapshots of various legendary jazz figures. He captures each moment  that is both touching and 'wow.'

The individual pieces in this book are held together by brief episodes of Duke Ellington and Harry Carney on the road that reads sort of existential that they do what they do - which is to travel, eat at dodgy diners, go to club/theater, play music and then go forward.  But during this activity Ellington is consistently thinking of writing new music and he finds inspiration on the pacing and details of 'road' life.   A very nice touch, and then it goes into incredible 'at the moment' portraits of Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Lester Young, Chet Baker, and the ultra-cool and poisonous Art Pepper.   Dyer gets it right, and this is a really 'must' type of book for one's jazz library.  Or I should just say music.   You like sound, then get the book.

Here's the music makers that are in the book:


Lester Young
Personnel:
Lester Young - Tenor Sax
Billy Butterfield - Trumpet
Hank D'Amico - Clarinet
Dexter Hall - Guitar
Johnny Guarnieri - Piano
Billy Taylor - Bass
Cozy Cole - Drums



Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins, 1958
Charlie Shavers, trumpet; J C Higginbotham, trombone; Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, tenor sax; Pee Wee Russell, clarinet; Harry Sheppard, vibraphone; Willie "The Lion" Smith, piano; Dickie Thompson, guitar; Vinnie Burke, acoustic double bass; Sonny Greer, drums



Lester Young and Billie Holiday.  With Gerry Mulligan



Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk - piano. Charlie Rouse - tenor. Larry Gales - bass. Ben Riley - drums



a long set with Thelonious Monk.



Bud Powell Trio



Ben Webster
Ben Webster - Tenor Saxophone, Kenny Drew - Piano, Nils Henning Orsted Pederson - Bass, Alex Riel, Drums






Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Double Bass
Eric Dolphy Bass ClarinetDannie Richmond Drum
Clifford Jordan Tenor Sax
Jackie Byard Piano
Johnny Coles Trumpet







Chet Baker



Art Pepper

Kenny Dorham Quintet on Vinyl

More vinyl listening pleasure with what many feel is a classic recording by the Kenny Dorham Quintet.   Originally on Debut Records (now part of the Fantasy empire) this recording was done in New York on December 1953.  It conveys a certain amount of elegance that makes the afternoon go slower.  It's very graceful and tasteful and it is sort of a strong cocktail, where you have to dip into it with a certain amount of style.

The label Debut, was started by Charles Mingus with the help of the great drummer Max Roach.  Sort of the do-it-yourself aesthetic, but every release had a killer cover. 

Kenny Dorham