The Charles Mingus Jazz Work Shop - The Clown Vinyl LP Atlantic 1260
The Clown is an album by Charles Mingus. It is the follow-up to 1956's Pithecanthropus Erectus and features the improvised narration of Jean Shepherd. All the tracks were recorded on March 12, 1957, except for "The Clown", recorded on February 13 of the same year.
According to Nat Hentoff's liner notes, Mingus explained why he chose those four tracks for the album: "I selected these four over two others that were more intricate because some of those guys had been saying that I didn't swing. So I made some that did. This album also has the first blues I've made on record."
On "Haitian Fight Song", Mingus said "I'd say this song has a contemporary folk feeling. My solo in it is a deeply concentrated one. I can't play it right unless I'm thinking about prejudice and hate and persecution, and how unfair it is. There's sadness and cries in it, but also determination. And it usually ends with my feeling: 'I told them! I hope somebody heard me.’
"The Clown" tells the story of a clown "who tried to please people like most jazz musicians do, but whom nobody liked until he was dead. My version of the story ended with his blowing his brains out with the people laughing and finally being pleased because they thought it was part of the act. I liked the way Jean changed the ending; leaves it more up to the listener.
tracklist
A1 Haitian Fight Song
A2 Blue Cee
B1 Reincarnation Of A Lovebird
B2 The Clown
