This album is unique in Mingus' enormous catalog.
As the title indicates, the famous bassist takes to the ivories solo to give life to his dazzling improvisational art.
At first it seems odd to hear Mingus without one of his trademark interactive and exploratory ensembles.
But the sensibility that he brings to this collection of piano pieces bears all the signs of the composer's genius.
In the first piece, "Myself When I Am Real," turbulence and aching beauty merge in Mingus' spontaneous unfolding of phrases.
Such standards as "Body and Soul" and "Memories of You" are given personal, harmonically intriguing readings that blend in seamlessly with a Mingus original like "Old Portrait." In many ways, it is a treat to hear the artist working in this pared-down, quieter atmosphere, as it allows one to concentrate more intently upon the range and compositional brilliance of this incomparable figure.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myself When I Am RealCharles Mingus | Charles Mingus | Play | 07:38 | 17 MB | 36 MB |
| 2 | I Can't Get StartedVernon Duke, Ira Gershwin | Charles Mingus | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 3 | Body and SoulFrank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour | Charles Mingus | Play | 04:34 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 4 | Roland Kirk's MessageCharles Mingus | Charles Mingus | Play | 02:43 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 5 | Memories of YouEubie Blake, Andy Razaf | Charles Mingus | Play | 04:38 | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| 6 | Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Silk BluesCharles Mingus | Charles Mingus | Play | 04:16 | 9 MB | 20 MB |
| 7 | Meditations for MosesCharles Mingus | Charles Mingus | Play | 03:41 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 8 | Old PortraitCharles Mingus | Charles Mingus | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 9 | I'm Getting Sentimental Over YouGeorge Bassman, Ned Washington | Charles Mingus | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | She's Just Miss Popular Hybrid | Charles Mingus | Play | 03:11 | 7 MB | 14 MB |
| 11 | Compositional Theme Story- Medleys, Anthems and Folklore | Charles Mingus | Play | 08:35 | 19 MB | 39 MB |
| 50 mins | 115 MB | |||||
| 50 mins | 237 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Bassman | Composer |
| 2 | Eubie Blake | Composer |
| 3 | Michael Cuscuna | Reissue Producer |
| 4 | Vernon Duke | Composer |
| 5 | Frank Eyton | Composer |
| 6 | Ira Gershwin | Composer |
| 7 | Johnny Green | Composer |
| 8 | Nat Hentoff | Liner Notes |
| 9 | Edward Heyman | Composer |
| 10 | Victor Kalin | Cover Painting |
| 11 | Hollis King | Art Direction, Design |
| 12 | Erick Labson | Digital Remastering |
| 13 | Joe Lebow | Liner Design |
| 14 | Charles Mingus | Composer, Piano, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 15 | Andy Razaf | Composer |
| 16 | Bob Simpson | Engineer |
| 17 | Robert Sour | Composer |
| 18 | Lee Tanner | Photography |
| 19 | Bob Thiele | Photography, Producer |
| 20 | Ned Washington | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |