This 1963 recording occupies a special place in Mingus's work, his most brilliantly realized extended composition. The six-part suite is a broad canvas for the bassist's tumultuous passions, ranging from islands of serenity for solo guitar and piano to waves of contrapuntal conflict and accelerating rhythms that pull the listener into the musical psychodrama. It seems to mingle and transform both the heights and clichés of jazz orchestration, from Mingus's master, Duke Ellington, to film noir soundtracks. The result is a masterpiece of sounds and textures, from the astonishing vocal effects of the plunger-muted trumpets and trombone (seeming to speak messages just beyond the range of understanding) to the soaring romantic alto of Charlie Mariano. Boiling beneath it all are the teeming, congested rhythms of Mingus and drummer Dannie Richmond and the deep morass of tuba and baritone saxophone. This is one of the greatest works in jazz composition, and it's remarkable that Mingus dredged this much emotional power from a group of just 11 musicians. --Stuart Broomer

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

GP Top selecta, 22 Feb 2008
Fan's of Gilles Peterson's old vibrazone and worldwide shows on Kiss will dig this.. I don't really follow his adventures on BBC but these were the type of tunes that blew me away and turned me onto Jazz when GP spun them - usually at the beginning of the show.. All of them modal gems from a higher consciousness.. It's beyond hype and pretension just feel the warmth and soul of these true classics..

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

GP Top selecta, 22 Feb 2008
Fan's of Gilles Peterson's old vibrazone and worldwide shows on Kiss will dig this.. I don't really follow his adventures on BBC but these were the type of tunes that blew me away and turned me onto Jazz when GP spun them - usually at the beginning of the show.. All of them modal gems from a higher consciousness.. It's beyond hype and pretension just feel the warmth and soul of these true classics..

Hauntingly beautiful solo piano jazz., 13 Aug 2008
Although the bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus could never be described as a piano virtuoso his playing on this overlooked 1963 solo album displays more feeling and imagination than many over-hyped contemporary jazz pianists. The piano was always important to Mingus when creating his compositions and it's fascinating to hear him alone at the piano playing seven hauntingly beautiful improvised originals plus four meditative standards.
This marvellous CD repays repeated listening and deserves a place in any Mingus collection.

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

GP Top selecta, 22 Feb 2008
Fan's of Gilles Peterson's old vibrazone and worldwide shows on Kiss will dig this.. I don't really follow his adventures on BBC but these were the type of tunes that blew me away and turned me onto Jazz when GP spun them - usually at the beginning of the show.. All of them modal gems from a higher consciousness.. It's beyond hype and pretension just feel the warmth and soul of these true classics..

Hauntingly beautiful solo piano jazz., 13 Aug 2008
Although the bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus could never be described as a piano virtuoso his playing on this overlooked 1963 solo album displays more feeling and imagination than many over-hyped contemporary jazz pianists. The piano was always important to Mingus when creating his compositions and it's fascinating to hear him alone at the piano playing seven hauntingly beautiful improvised originals plus four meditative standards.
This marvellous CD repays repeated listening and deserves a place in any Mingus collection.

Simply a Masterpeice!, 20 May 2004
Pharoah Sanders is a wonderfully gifted saxophonist and a man doubly gifted with one of the most powerful voices of the twentieth century in any genre of music. In this album he demonstrates both of these sublime talents in two diverse tracks. Hum-allah is essentially a piece with the feel of sunrise. Beginning with simple clapping and a basic piano riff, layers of percussion and woodwind are slowly intertwined with the simple riff and a delightful tune emerges. The effect is transcendental and is an extremely heatwarming and humane piece, especially when Pharoah begins to sing. Sun in Aquarius is more of a piece for sunset and is a mystical amalgamation of layered percussion and 'free' playing. This is a powerful piece that is hard to take in at first, but with several listenings, one becomes accustomed to its evokations of spirits and nightly creatures. This ends in a tone more similar to the hum-allah. The result is a masterpiece of an album that you will never tire of.

Perhaps looking to renew his inspiration or maybe simply wanting to broaden his horizons, Duke Ellington began a string of collaborations in the second half of his career--whereas before that, his own band was stimulus enough. Whatever the reason, almost all of his collaborations succeeded at high levels, although none of his shared sessions are more intriguing on the surface than this 1962 date with the preeminent sax star of the day. In reality, the record amounts to "Coltrane Plays Ellington" (plus one Coltrane original) because the tenor man is the whole show--and what a show it is. Only Coltrane could be as "fiercely tender," and there's no better forum for his sensitive side than the music of Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, who contributes the album's true vertex, "My Little Brown Book." The rhythm section alternates between Duke's and Trane's, each adding a different texture to the proceedings. Ellington is wise enough to appreciate the nature of the session, and he is quite content to feed chords in service of the young master--proving the old master's open mind and good taste. Hearing Coltrane seize "In a Sentimental Mood" is thanks enough. --Marc Greilsamer

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

GP Top selecta, 22 Feb 2008
Fan's of Gilles Peterson's old vibrazone and worldwide shows on Kiss will dig this.. I don't really follow his adventures on BBC but these were the type of tunes that blew me away and turned me onto Jazz when GP spun them - usually at the beginning of the show.. All of them modal gems from a higher consciousness.. It's beyond hype and pretension just feel the warmth and soul of these true classics..

Hauntingly beautiful solo piano jazz., 13 Aug 2008
Although the bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus could never be described as a piano virtuoso his playing on this overlooked 1963 solo album displays more feeling and imagination than many over-hyped contemporary jazz pianists. The piano was always important to Mingus when creating his compositions and it's fascinating to hear him alone at the piano playing seven hauntingly beautiful improvised originals plus four meditative standards.
This marvellous CD repays repeated listening and deserves a place in any Mingus collection.

Simply a Masterpeice!, 20 May 2004
Pharoah Sanders is a wonderfully gifted saxophonist and a man doubly gifted with one of the most powerful voices of the twentieth century in any genre of music. In this album he demonstrates both of these sublime talents in two diverse tracks. Hum-allah is essentially a piece with the feel of sunrise. Beginning with simple clapping and a basic piano riff, layers of percussion and woodwind are slowly intertwined with the simple riff and a delightful tune emerges. The effect is transcendental and is an extremely heatwarming and humane piece, especially when Pharoah begins to sing. Sun in Aquarius is more of a piece for sunset and is a mystical amalgamation of layered percussion and 'free' playing. This is a powerful piece that is hard to take in at first, but with several listenings, one becomes accustomed to its evokations of spirits and nightly creatures. This ends in a tone more similar to the hum-allah. The result is a masterpiece of an album that you will never tire of.

Superb, 09 Mar 2006
Just one of the definitive Jazz albums of the world. It just makes you want to kick of your shoes, open some wine, get comfy and just let the music take you away.

Do you buy a record for just two tracks ?, 07 Mar 2005
The answer in this case probably has to be yes !! IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD and MY LITTLE BROWN BOOK are 5 stars all the way, but I feel that the rest of the material falls away, and is really not very special. Of course, if you believe that everything recorded by these giants is ipso facto very special, you will indulge yourself.

An exquisite meeting of two jazz giants., 13 Dec 2001
One of the joys of the best jazz music is hearing great artists playing off each other. These two giants complement each other perfectly here. Coltrane's lyricism floats over Ellington's delicately textured piano playing to beautiful effect, especially in In A Sentimental Mood. An essential purchase for lovers of Trane and the Duke alike.

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

GP Top selecta, 22 Feb 2008
Fan's of Gilles Peterson's old vibrazone and worldwide shows on Kiss will dig this.. I don't really follow his adventures on BBC but these were the type of tunes that blew me away and turned me onto Jazz when GP spun them - usually at the beginning of the show.. All of them modal gems from a higher consciousness.. It's beyond hype and pretension just feel the warmth and soul of these true classics..

Hauntingly beautiful solo piano jazz., 13 Aug 2008
Although the bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus could never be described as a piano virtuoso his playing on this overlooked 1963 solo album displays more feeling and imagination than many over-hyped contemporary jazz pianists. The piano was always important to Mingus when creating his compositions and it's fascinating to hear him alone at the piano playing seven hauntingly beautiful improvised originals plus four meditative standards.
This marvellous CD repays repeated listening and deserves a place in any Mingus collection.

Simply a Masterpeice!, 20 May 2004
Pharoah Sanders is a wonderfully gifted saxophonist and a man doubly gifted with one of the most powerful voices of the twentieth century in any genre of music. In this album he demonstrates both of these sublime talents in two diverse tracks. Hum-allah is essentially a piece with the feel of sunrise. Beginning with simple clapping and a basic piano riff, layers of percussion and woodwind are slowly intertwined with the simple riff and a delightful tune emerges. The effect is transcendental and is an extremely heatwarming and humane piece, especially when Pharoah begins to sing. Sun in Aquarius is more of a piece for sunset and is a mystical amalgamation of layered percussion and 'free' playing. This is a powerful piece that is hard to take in at first, but with several listenings, one becomes accustomed to its evokations of spirits and nightly creatures. This ends in a tone more similar to the hum-allah. The result is a masterpiece of an album that you will never tire of.

Superb, 09 Mar 2006
Just one of the definitive Jazz albums of the world. It just makes you want to kick of your shoes, open some wine, get comfy and just let the music take you away.

Do you buy a record for just two tracks ?, 07 Mar 2005
The answer in this case probably has to be yes !! IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD and MY LITTLE BROWN BOOK are 5 stars all the way, but I feel that the rest of the material falls away, and is really not very special. Of course, if you believe that everything recorded by these giants is ipso facto very special, you will indulge yourself.

An exquisite meeting of two jazz giants., 13 Dec 2001
One of the joys of the best jazz music is hearing great artists playing off each other. These two giants complement each other perfectly here. Coltrane's lyricism floats over Ellington's delicately textured piano playing to beautiful effect, especially in In A Sentimental Mood. An essential purchase for lovers of Trane and the Duke alike.

Tremulous tribute, 02 Sep 2001
Archie Shepp is more famously known for his Fire Music (Impulse!, 1965), his avant-garde antics at the Village Vanguard in the mid-1960s and for his work with Cotrane in the same period, than for Four For Trane, his first recording on the Impulse! label.

The album has renditions of four Coltrane compositions: "Syeeda's Song Flute", "Mr. Syms", "Cousin Mary" and "Naima". The first opens with a richly orchestrated introduction, which is then sharply contrasted against Shepp's tremulous, fractured delivery. Roswell Rudd offers pointed comments in the background and follows with a similarly abstract solo. The trombone had clearly evolved into unrecognisable territory since the days of J.J. Johnson and Kay Winding!

The first bars of "Mr. Syms" almost presage a dark landscape, but Shepp's arrangement is lithe and subtly textured, bringing out the passion in the composition with an understated eloquence. Alan Shorter, older brother of Wayne, contributes a remarkably impressionistic solo, setting the tone for Archie's equally poetic statement. Pity that Alan Shorter's remaining discography is so thin.

Four For Trane is a mysterious album: it is an avant-garde tribute to a living master who had yet to record his most significant avant-garde albums, A Love Supreme (1964), Ascension (1965) and Interstellar Space (1967), all on the same label as Shepp's. Trane himself appears in a contrived portrait on the cover, on which Shepp stares ahead pensively with pipe in mouth.

"Naima" is arguably the most compelling piece on the album - possibly Coltrane's most played "standard", it is magically arranged by Roswell Rudd, comparable to a tone-poem of Ellingtonian profundity. The solos are breezy and almost nebulous in their commitment to non-definition. The performance reveals both a veneration for Coltrane's compositional austerity and formal beauty, and at the same time a bleak conception of emotion far removed from Coltrane's burning urgency.

This fascinating record, a work of clarity and elegance amid the frenzy of the "New Thing", ends enigmatically with a Shepp composition whose title reveals a bizarre humour: "Rufus (Swung, his face to at last to the wind, then his neck snapped)".

By 1998, the year this set was issued, Michael Brecker was a virtual veteran of the Impulse label, having made his debut as leader with the imprint in 1987. Although his first albums had nominally marked a return to "proper jazz", they still carried a residue of fusion in, for example, the mixing of Highland reels with jazz and the use of the EWI synthesizer driver. However, by the mid 1990s no one had to pretend to play fusion anymore, and Brecker produced two of his finest straight-ahead albums--the 1996 Tales From The Hudson and this set. Brecker is rather overshadowed as a composer by his pianist Joey Calderazzo, who brings in such strong pieces as "Bye George" and "El Niño", but the leader's instrumental wizardry remains supreme, as demonstrated by his masterly and comic development of "Delta City Blues". Bassist James Genus and drummer Jeff Watts complete a masterclass in modern bebop.--Mark Gilbert

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

GP Top selecta, 22 Feb 2008
Fan's of Gilles Peterson's old vibrazone and worldwide shows on Kiss will dig this.. I don't really follow his adventures on BBC but these were the type of tunes that blew me away and turned me onto Jazz when GP spun them - usually at the beginning of the show.. All of them modal gems from a higher consciousness.. It's beyond hype and pretension just feel the warmth and soul of these true classics..

Hauntingly beautiful solo piano jazz., 13 Aug 2008
Although the bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus could never be described as a piano virtuoso his playing on this overlooked 1963 solo album displays more feeling and imagination than many over-hyped contemporary jazz pianists. The piano was always important to Mingus when creating his compositions and it's fascinating to hear him alone at the piano playing seven hauntingly beautiful improvised originals plus four meditative standards.
This marvellous CD repays repeated listening and deserves a place in any Mingus collection.

Simply a Masterpeice!, 20 May 2004
Pharoah Sanders is a wonderfully gifted saxophonist and a man doubly gifted with one of the most powerful voices of the twentieth century in any genre of music. In this album he demonstrates both of these sublime talents in two diverse tracks. Hum-allah is essentially a piece with the feel of sunrise. Beginning with simple clapping and a basic piano riff, layers of percussion and woodwind are slowly intertwined with the simple riff and a delightful tune emerges. The effect is transcendental and is an extremely heatwarming and humane piece, especially when Pharoah begins to sing. Sun in Aquarius is more of a piece for sunset and is a mystical amalgamation of layered percussion and 'free' playing. This is a powerful piece that is hard to take in at first, but with several listenings, one becomes accustomed to its evokations of spirits and nightly creatures. This ends in a tone more similar to the hum-allah. The result is a masterpiece of an album that you will never tire of.

Superb, 09 Mar 2006
Just one of the definitive Jazz albums of the world. It just makes you want to kick of your shoes, open some wine, get comfy and just let the music take you away.

Do you buy a record for just two tracks ?, 07 Mar 2005
The answer in this case probably has to be yes !! IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD and MY LITTLE BROWN BOOK are 5 stars all the way, but I feel that the rest of the material falls away, and is really not very special. Of course, if you believe that everything recorded by these giants is ipso facto very special, you will indulge yourself.

An exquisite meeting of two jazz giants., 13 Dec 2001
One of the joys of the best jazz music is hearing great artists playing off each other. These two giants complement each other perfectly here. Coltrane's lyricism floats over Ellington's delicately textured piano playing to beautiful effect, especially in In A Sentimental Mood. An essential purchase for lovers of Trane and the Duke alike.

Tremulous tribute, 02 Sep 2001
Archie Shepp is more famously known for his Fire Music (Impulse!, 1965), his avant-garde antics at the Village Vanguard in the mid-1960s and for his work with Cotrane in the same period, than for Four For Trane, his first recording on the Impulse! label.

The album has renditions of four Coltrane compositions: "Syeeda's Song Flute", "Mr. Syms", "Cousin Mary" and "Naima". The first opens with a richly orchestrated introduction, which is then sharply contrasted against Shepp's tremulous, fractured delivery. Roswell Rudd offers pointed comments in the background and follows with a similarly abstract solo. The trombone had clearly evolved into unrecognisable territory since the days of J.J. Johnson and Kay Winding!

The first bars of "Mr. Syms" almost presage a dark landscape, but Shepp's arrangement is lithe and subtly textured, bringing out the passion in the composition with an understated eloquence. Alan Shorter, older brother of Wayne, contributes a remarkably impressionistic solo, setting the tone for Archie's equally poetic statement. Pity that Alan Shorter's remaining discography is so thin.

Four For Trane is a mysterious album: it is an avant-garde tribute to a living master who had yet to record his most significant avant-garde albums, A Love Supreme (1964), Ascension (1965) and Interstellar Space (1967), all on the same label as Shepp's. Trane himself appears in a contrived portrait on the cover, on which Shepp stares ahead pensively with pipe in mouth.

"Naima" is arguably the most compelling piece on the album - possibly Coltrane's most played "standard", it is magically arranged by Roswell Rudd, comparable to a tone-poem of Ellingtonian profundity. The solos are breezy and almost nebulous in their commitment to non-definition. The performance reveals both a veneration for Coltrane's compositional austerity and formal beauty, and at the same time a bleak conception of emotion far removed from Coltrane's burning urgency.

This fascinating record, a work of clarity and elegance amid the frenzy of the "New Thing", ends enigmatically with a Shepp composition whose title reveals a bizarre humour: "Rufus (Swung, his face to at last to the wind, then his neck snapped)".

Brilliant!, 16 May 2000
Technical brilliance that amazes me and great variety: some tracks are slightly funky but some tracks show beautiful and effortless flowing ideas. The variation of the standard 'Skylark' is beautiful. The completely original and witty 'Delta City Blues' is great, even when unaccompanied: I've never heard anything like it. It is very clever although sometimes rough and ready - I love it!

Hungarian guitarist Szabo got his start with drummer Chico Hamilton (who also discovered Eric Dolphy and Charles Lloyd, among others), but was soon off on his own with a unique hybrid of jazz improv and a twang reminiscent of surf guitar. By the 1970s he had descended into Donovan and Carpenters covers (and even those are pretty groovy in a hip-kitsch manner), but this CD combines two LPs that captured him live at his 1967 peak. Well, there is a Sonny and Cher tune, but it's a good one. Also featured is a second guitarist, Jimmy Stewart, and the meshing Eastern-tinged comping of the two is as hypnotic as the title. --D. Strauss

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, and neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen and behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

He must be laughing, 07 Apr 2008
I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued and got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished and most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.

epic jazz masterpiece, 19 Sep 2007
Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions and arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' and 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums and much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations and stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (both in texture and stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.

One of Mingus's finest, 14 Apr 2005
I must admit that there are a fair few composers in jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint and the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tuba in a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson and Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over and over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written and was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform and the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success and having huge belief in the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz and not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets and trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularly in the last movement and the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.

Prepare to be moved, 20 Jan 2005
I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar and that touches your very core. It ebbs and flows with a dynamic grace and truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs and lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have this in your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.

GP Top selecta, 22 Feb 2008
Fan's of Gilles Peterson's old vibrazone and worldwide shows on Kiss will dig this.. I don't really follow his adventures on BBC but these were the type of tunes that blew me away and turned me onto Jazz when GP spun them - usually at the beginning of the show.. All of them modal gems from a higher consciousness.. It's beyond hype and pretension just feel the warmth and soul of these true classics..

Hauntingly beautiful solo piano jazz., 13 Aug 2008
Although the bassist/composer/bandleader Charles Mingus could never be described as a piano virtuoso his playing on this overlooked 1963 solo album displays more feeling and imagination than many over-hyped contemporary jazz pianists. The piano was always important to Mingus when creating his compositions and it's fascinating to hear him alone at the piano playing seven hauntingly beautiful improvised originals plus four meditative standards.
This marvellous CD repays repeated listening and deserves a place in any Mingus collection.

Simply a Masterpeice!, 20 May 2004
Pharoah Sanders is a wonderfully gifted saxophonist and a man doubly gifted with one of the most powerful voices of the twentieth century in any genre of music. In this album he demonstrates both of these sublime talents in two diverse tracks. Hum-allah is essentially a piece with the feel of sunrise. Beginning with simple clapping and a basic piano riff, layers of percussion and woodwind are slowly intertwined with the simple riff and a delightful tune emerges. The effect is transcendental and is an extremely heatwarming and humane piece, especially when Pharoah begins to sing. Sun in Aquarius is more of a piece for sunset and is a mystical amalgamation of layered percussion and 'free' playing. This is a powerful piece that is hard to take in at first, but with several listenings, one becomes accustomed to its evokations of spirits and nightly creatures. This ends in a tone more similar to the hum-allah. The result is a masterpiece of an album that you will never tire of.

Superb, 09 Mar 2006
Just one of the definitive Jazz albums of the world. It just makes you want to kick of your shoes, open some wine, get comfy and just let the music take you away.

Do you buy a record for just two tracks ?, 07 Mar 2005
The answer in this case probably has to be yes !! IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD and MY LITTLE BROWN BOOK are 5 stars all the way, but I feel that the rest of the material falls away, and is really not very special. Of course, if you believe that everything recorded by these giants is ipso facto very special, you will indulge yourself.

An exquisite meeting of two jazz giants., 13 Dec 2001
One of the joys of the best jazz music is hearing great artists playing off each other. These two giants complement each other perfectly here. Coltrane's lyricism floats over Ellington's delicately textured piano playing to beautiful effect, especially in In A Sentimental Mood. An essential purchase for lovers of Trane and the Duke alike.

Tremulous tribute, 02 Sep 2001
Archie Shepp is more famously known for his Fire Music (Impulse!, 1965), his avant-garde antics at the Village Vanguard in the mid-1960s and for his work with Cotrane in the same period, than for Four For Trane, his first recording on the Impulse! label.

The album has renditions of four Coltrane compositions: "Syeeda's Song Flute", "Mr. Syms", "Cousin Mary" and "Naima". The first opens with a richly orchestrated introduction, which is then sharply contrasted against Shepp's tremulous, fractured delivery. Roswell Rudd offers pointed comments in the background and follows with a similarly abstract solo. The trombone had clearly evolved into unrecognisable territory since the days of J.J. Johnson and Kay Winding!

The first bars of "Mr. Syms" almost presage a dark landscape, but Shepp's arrangement is lithe and subtly textured, bringing out the passion in the composition with an understated eloquence. Alan Shorter, older brother of Wayne, contributes a remarkably impressionistic solo, setting the tone for Archie's equally poetic statement. Pity that Alan Shorter's remaining discography is so thin.

Four For Trane is a mysterious album: it is an avant-garde tribute to a living master who had yet to record his most significant avant-garde albums, A Love Supreme (1964), Ascension (1965) and Interstellar Space (1967), all on the same label as Shepp's. Trane himself appears in a contrived portrait on the cover, on which Shepp stares ahead pensively with pipe in mouth.

"Naima" is arguably the most compelling piece on the album - possibly Coltrane's most played "standard", it is magically arranged by Roswell Rudd, comparable to a tone-poem of Ellingtonian profundity. The solos are breezy and almost nebulous in their commitment to non-definition. The performance reveals both a veneration for Coltrane's compositional austerity and formal beauty, and at the same time a bleak conception of emotion far removed from Coltrane's burning urgency.

This fascinating record, a work of clarity and elegance amid the frenzy of the "New Thing", ends enigmatically with a Shepp composition whose title reveals a bizarre humour: "Rufus (Swung, his face to at last to the wind, then his neck snapped)".

Brilliant!, 16 May 2000
Technical brilliance that amazes me and great variety: some tracks are slightly funky but some tracks show beautiful and effortless flowing ideas. The variation of the standard 'Skylark' is beautiful. The completely original and witty 'Delta City Blues' is great, even when unaccompanied: I've never heard anything like it. It is very clever although sometimes rough and ready - I love it!

Pure Gold, 14 Mar 2008
I've owned a 33 of this for many years and it has been one of those LPs that I've played and enjoyed again and again. Having bought the CD a few years ago, none of the charm has been lost. A masterpiece of understated virtuoso playing, hot and cool rhythms, and a fabulous open sound that makes you really feel the bass and top end of every track.
A great recording - buy and enjoy.

More mysterious than the Holy Grail., 07 Jul 2008
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear and gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear ( in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, and the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation and torture in chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, and frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint and his Sinner Lady, and yet somehow he is still bound down in chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar and the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, and indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse released in its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, and one which every reviewer notes when