Pithecanthropus Erectus (album)

Pithecanthropus Erectus is a 1956 album by jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus. Mingus noted that this was the first album where he taught arrangements to his musicians by ear in lieu of writing everything down.^[1]

Music

According to Mingus' liner notes, the title song is a ten-minute tone poem, depicting the rise of man from his hominid roots (Pithecanthropus erectus) to an eventual downfall due to "his own failure to realize the inevitable emancipation of those he sought to enslave, and his greed in attempting to stand on a false security." The song's title translates into "Upright Ape-Man", which holds a dual meaning with "upright" referring to Mingus' bass.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Q magazine	^[2]
Vibe	(not rated)^[3]
Allmusic	^[1]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz gave it a maximum four-star rating and added it to its core collection, describing it as "One of the truly great modern jazz albums".^[4] In the same review, "the all-in ensemble work" in parts of the first track, "Pithecanthropus Erectus", is described as being "absolutely crucial to the development of free collective improvisation in the following decade".

Track listing

All tracks composed by Charles Mingus except where noted.

"Pithecanthropus Erectus" – 10:36
"A Foggy Day" – 7:50 (George Gershwin)
"Profile of Jackie" – 3:11
"Love Chant" – 14:59

Personnel

Musicians

Charles Mingus – bass
Jackie McLean – alto saxophone
J. R. Monterose – tenor saxophone
Mal Waldron – piano
Willie Jones – drums

Production

Tom Dowd – recording engineering
Hal Lustig – recording engineering

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huey, Steve. "Pithecanthropus Erectus - Charles Mingus | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
↑ "The essential early Mingus set" (December 2001) Q, p. 160.
↑ "The Vibe 100" (December 1999) Vibe, p.162. (Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century.)
↑ Cook, Richard & Morton, Brian (2008) The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, p. 1001. Penguin.

v t e Charles Mingus

Studio albums	Jazz Composers Workshop (1954–55) The Jazz Experiments of Charlie Mingus (1955) Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956) The Clown (1957) Mingus Three (1957) East Coasting (1957) A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry (1957) Mingus Ah Um (1959) Mingus Dynasty (1959) Blues & Roots (1960) Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (1960) Mingus (1960) Reincarnation of a Lovebird (1960) Oh Yeah (1961) Tonight at Noon (1957/61) Tijuana Moods (1962) The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963) Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963) Mingus Plays Piano (1964) Charles Mingus in Paris: The Complete America Session (1970) Charles Mingus with Orchestra (1971) Let My Children Hear Music (1972) Mingus Moves (1973) Changes One (1974) Changes Two (1975) Three or Four Shades of Blues (1977) Cumbia & Jazz Fusion (1978)

Live albums	Mingus at the Bohemia (1955) The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach (1955) Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland (1959) Mingus at Antibes (1960) The Complete Town Hall Concert (1962) Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy Cornell 1964 (1964) Town Hall Concert (1964) The Great Concert of Charles Mingus (1964) Right Now: Live at the Jazz Workshop (1964) Mingus at Monterey (1964) My Favorite Quintet (1965) Music Written for Monterey 1965 (1965) Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert (1972) Mingus at Carnegie Hall (1974)

Related	Discography Mingus Big Band Mingus Dynasty Sue Mingus Jazz at Massey Hall (1953) Weary Blues (1958) Money Jungle (1962) Mingus (1979) Epitaph (1990)

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