Ethan Philion

Meditations on Mingus

Sunnyside

The music of Charles Mingus has been prominent in this centennial year and it’s refreshing to hear the many interpretations including this one, Meditations on Mingus, from Chicago bassist Ethan Philion who assembled a tentet for his arrangements of Mingus composition, many of them iconic. Mingus music is not only timeless musically but his themes resonant maybe even more loudly today in our divisive state than they did when he recorded them. As such Philion culled through the material with these themes in mind: racism (“Haitian Fight Song,” “Meditation for a Pair of Wire Cutters,” “Pithecanthropus Erectus”), police brutality (“Remember Rockefeller at Attica,” “Prayer for Passive Resistance”), mental health (“Self Portrait in 3 Colors”) and economic disparities (“Once Upon a Time there was a Holding Corporation Called Old America”).

Philion did a great job with the liners including a Mingus quote after each composition. (for example on “Prayer for Passive Resistance we have “Man, I’m a single movement.”) Personnel for the date beyond Philion include trumpeters Russ Johnson and Victor Garcia, woodwind players Rajiv Halim, Geof Bradfield, and Max Bessesen; trombonists Norman Palm and Brendan Whalen, pianist Alexis Lombre and drummer Dana Hall.

The opener, “Once Upon a Time there was a Holding Corporation Called Old America” (a.k.a “The Shoes of the Fisherman’s Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers”) features the two trumpeters getting feisty. This tune along with “Haitian Fight Song” and “Pithecanthropus Erectus” are most faithful to the original arrangements. Philion kicks off the former and solos midway through as well, stating the theme much the way Mingus did before first the trombones and then all the horns and reeds flesh it out, carving space for pianist Lombre as Philion and Hall are in lockstep, emulating the Mingus-Richmond tandem. The latter is faithfully orchestrated as well as we hear the versality of the woodwinds with Bradfield and Bessemen playing flutes in the opening sequences.

Mingus often changed the titles of his compositions without altering the music as noted by the alternate title cited in the previous paragraph. Thus, “Meditation on a Pair of Wire Cutters” also appeared as “Mediations on Integration” or “Praying for Eric.” The inspiration was his response to the inhumane imprisonment in the South was and performed by Philion’s favorite Mingus ensemble with Eric Dolphy, Johnny Coles, Clifford Jordan, Jackie Byard and Dannie Richmond. {Note to Mingus fans – recent issues of At Bremen 1964 & 1975 and Music Written for Monterey 1965 have these players}. We hear the spirit of Dolphy in Bradfield’s bass clarinet while trombonists Whalen and Palm jab back and forth and both trumpeters get their say.

Just as on “Meditations” Philion includes snippets of Mingus recorded versions in his arrangements of “Prayer for Passive Resistance” and “Better Git It In Your Soul.” The same invigorating Mingus energy and spirit of improvisation colors every piece. In fact, on “Self Portrait” and “Rockefeller” Philion injects some of his own material, while preserving the feeling of the piece.  Impressive solo performances from altoist Halim on “Prayer” and “Rockefeller” as well as Russ Johnson’s emotive take in “Self Portrait” are especially noteworthy. Yet the project’s overriding success rests largely on Philion’s superior arrangements for these ten instruments, meeting the challenge of finding the balance between adherence to the originals and allowing room for improvisation. And the balance of the low end represented by the trombones and low register woodwinds offset by the alto sax and trumpets on the higher end reflects how Mingus treated harmonics.

Mingus’ compositions are among the most emotive in the jazz canon. We cannot hear his music enough, especially in these times.

• Jim Hynes.

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