Bass - Charles Mingus [click here to see more vinyl featuring Charles Mingus] Alto saxophone, Bass clarinet - Eric Dolphy (B2) click here to see more vinyl featuring Eric Dolphy] Piano - Tommy Flanagan (A2, B3) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Tommy Flanagan] Tenor saxophone - Booker Ervin (A1, B1-2) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Booker Ervin] Trumpet - Roy Eldridge (A2, B3) Alto saxophone - Charles McPherson (A1, B1-2) Drums - Dannie Richmond (A1, B1-2), Jo Jones (A2, B3) Piano - Nico Bunick (B1), Paul Bley (A1, B2) Trombone - Britt Woodman (B1), Jimmy Knepper (A2, B1, B3) Trumpet - Lonnie Hillyer (A1, B1-2), Ted Curson (B1-2) Written by Charles Mingus (A1, B2), Ray Brown (A2), Roy Eldridge (A2), Oscar Hammerstein II (B1), Jerome Kern (B1), John Green (B3), Edward Heyman (B3), Robert Sour (B3) 1 LP, standard sleeve Original analog Master tape : YES Heavy Press : 180g Record color : black Speed : 33 RPM Size : 12'’ Stereo Studio Record Press : unspecified Label : Candid Original Label : Candid Recorded at Nola Recording Studios in New York City on November 11, 1960 (A1-2, B2-3) & October 20, 1960 (B1) Engineered by Bob d’Orléans Produced by Nat Hentoff Remastered by Bernie Grundman Design by David Gorman Sleeve Notes by Hank Shteamer Originally released in 1960 Reissued in March 2024 Tracks : Side A: Bugs R&R Side B: All the Things You Are (All) Reincarnation of a Love Bird (2nd Version) Body and Soul Reviews : "A collection of recordings culled from Charles Mingus' 1960 sessions on the Candid label, 2024's Incarnations is a swinging yet still heady album that finds the bassist bridging the mainstream jazz of the '40s and '50s with the avant-garde post-bop and third-stream explorations he would pursue just a few years later. By the time he entered the studio for Candid with producer/label owner Nat Hentoff, Mingus had already started to embrace, or at least respond to, free jazz players like Ornette Coleman. Though still rooted in blues, bop, and hard swing, Mingus had put together several line-ups of both younger and veteran players whose conflagration of styles worked to both expand and deconstruct the sound of standards-based modern jazz. Putting a swing-era star like trumpeter Roy Eldridge alongside a burgeoning iconoclast like saxophonist Eric Dolphy (as he does here on several tracks) may seem odd at first, but the clash of styles proves electric, underscoring how the lineage and language of jazz are passed down through the generations. It also grabs the listener's ear and makes you pay deeper attention. Featured here are many of the same musicians that appeared on 1960's Mingus! and 1961's Newport Rebels, including Booker Ervin, Charles McPherson, Ted Curson, Lonnie Hillyer, Jimmy Knepper, Britt Woodman, Tommy Flanagan, Paul Bley, Dannie Richmond, and Jo Jones. Essentially, Incarnations is an alternate version of Reincarnation of a Love Bird, which was also recorded on Candid in 1960 but not released until 1988. Here, we get a very similar track listing, with alternate takes on the frenetic Charlie Parker bop contrafact "Bugs" and the swinging "R&R" featuring some tasty, muted trumpet work by Eldridge. There are also equally engaging versions of "Body and Soul," also featuring Eldridge, and the noir-ish "Reincarnation of a Love Bird," both of which compete favorably with the versions released in 1988. Most intriguing, however, is the inclusion of the previously unreleased "All the Things You Are (All)." Notably, we hear Mingus introduce the song and explain that it is a reworking of the standard "All the Things You Are" based on chord changes he picked up when playing the song with Art Tatum in the '40s. Mingus' arrangement, a polyphonic chamber ballad with modern classical intimations, bears little resemblance to the source material and prefigures the ambitious, third stream ensemble sound he would soon explore on landmark albums like Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. Although Incarnations is more of an alternate takes collection than a lost album, the inclusion of "All the Things You Are (All)" makes it essential listening for Mingus fans, showcasing just how boundary-pushing he was." AllMusic review by Matt Collar "One of the most creative labels of the 1950s-60s was Candid Records, and they’ve reissued on vinyl some of their most provocative creations. Hang on tight! Incarnations is a collection of tunes from Mingus’ 1960 recordings, with an impressive guest list that includes Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, Roy Eldridge, Charles McPherson, Tommy Flanagan, and of course Dannie Richmond. Most of the tunes are alternate takes not found on his albums from this period, but there is nothing here that isn’t less than stellar, with an almost classical feel given on “All The Things You Are” and a dark shadowed “Reincarnation Of A Love Bird”. Eldridge shines on “Body And Soul” and swings hard with his Harmon Mute on “R&R” with Ervin and McPherson going deep on “Bugs”. Mingus moves. Mingus Rebels was a recording in protest to the “commercial” aspects of the Newport Jazz Festival, with the wide range of Mingus guests including Roy Eldridge/tp, Eric Dolphy/as, Jimmy Knepper/tb, TommY Flanagan/p, Jo Jones/dr Max Roach/dr, Abbey Lincoln/voc and Kenny Dorham/tp among others. The disparate mix of swingers and left of center boppers works amazingly well, with Lincoln belting out “’Tain’ Nobody’s Bizness If I Do” and Roach joyfully sparing with J ones with Booker Little’s horn out front on “Cliff Walk”. MIngus regulars Knepper and Dolphy are glorious foils on “Mysterios Blues” and the team goes into a cocktail lounge act on a sublime “Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams”. Mingus moods Even the cover photo for Max Roach’s We Insist! tells you that this album is a story about civil rights. The centerpiece of this album (in it’s original mono format), the “Freedom Now Suite” starring Abbey Lincoln and singing lyrics by Oscar Brown, is supported by a wide range of artists including Coleman Hawkins, Walter Benton, Booker Little, Julian Priester, James Schenck, Babatunde Olatunji, Ray Mantilla and Tomas DuVall. There are earthy blues like “Driva’ Man” with Lincoln belting it out and Hawkins getting deep into the gut bucket. A duet between Roach and Lincoln results in a riveting “Tryptich” and some agonizing wordless vocals by Lincoln on “Tears For Johannesburg” are riveting. WHEW! " Jazz Weekly Review by George W. Harris. Ratings : AllMusic : 4 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.51 / 5
