Revenge!

Of all of bassist Charles Mingus' bands, one of the most exciting was the sextet that he took to Europe in 1964. Consisting of the unique Eric Dolphy (on alto, bass clarinet and flute), tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, pianist Jaki Byard, drummer Dannie Richmond and trumpeter Johnny Coles, this band really stretched the limits of bebop. Mingus (greatly assisted by Richmond) constantly changed rhythms when the music became too comfortable and was always pushing his sidemen to play above their capabilities. Revenge, a two-CD set from the tour, was the first release on Sue Mingus' label. She organized her company so as to combat the many bootleggers who illegally put out music by her late husband without paying anyone. The Revenge twofer has (despite saying that it is from April 18) the complete Paris concert of April 17. Coles, who unfortunately is not listed in the personnel, just appeares on "So Long Eric" (the same version previously out on Fantasy's The Great Concert of Charles Mingus) before becoming ill; otherwise this is a brilliant quintet date of previously unavailable music. While the versions of "Peggy's Blue Skylight" and "Orange Was the Color of Her Dress" have their moments, the band really digs in during the lengthy explorations of "Meditations on Integration," "Parkeriana" (a tribute to Charlie Parker that is quite a bit different than the Fantasy version) and a definitive and very exciting "Fables of Faubus." Eric Dolphy (particularly on alto) was at the peak of his powers during the tour (he died just a couple months later), Clifford Jordan (whose tone was quite distinctive) manages to keep up and Jaki Byard's versatility (going from bop and free to Duke Ellington and stride) is a major asset to the colorful music. A highly recommended release.