This article is about the 1962 live album. For the 1964 live album, see
Town Hall Concert .
1962 live album by Charles Mingus
The Complete Town Hall Concert is a live album by the American jazz musician Charles Mingus released on Blue Note label 1994.[ 1] It was recorded at the Town Hall in New York City in 1962. Some tracks were previously released on the United Artists label in 1962 as Town Hall Concert .[ 2]
The concert was conceived as a "live workshop" of newly composed music which would be recorded for release by United Artists but rescheduling, lack of rehearsal time, poor sound and interruptions led to the event and subsequent album being considered a disaster.[ 3] Much of the music intended for the performance was finally realized by conductor Gunther Schuller in a concert in 1989 as Epitaph .
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "Charles Mingus's Town Hall Concert has long been considered a famous fiasco, and the original United Artists LP (which contained just 36 minutes of music and did not bother identifying the personnel) made matters worse. But this 1994 Blue Note CD does its best to clean up the mess."[ 4]
The English rock band Radiohead cited The Complete Town Hall Concert as a major influence on their 2000 album Kid A . The songwriter, Thom Yorke , described it as "just fucking chaos ... There's this incredible tension and it was the most formative record of the whole time."[ 5]
All compositions by Charles Mingus except as indicated
"Freedom Part 1" - 3:47
"Freedom Part 2" - 3:14
"Osmotin'" - 2:50 Bonus track on CD reissue
"Epitaph Part 1" - 7:03
"Peggy's Blue Skylight" - 5:21 Bonus track on CD reissue
"Epitaph Part 2" - 5:10
"My Search" - 8:09
"Portrait" - 4:34 Bonus track on CD reissue
"Duke's Choice" - 5:12
"Please Don't Come Back from the Moon" - 7:24 Bonus track on CD reissue
"In a Mellow Tone " (Duke Ellington , Milt Gabler ) - 8:21
"Epitaph Part 1" [alternate take] - 7:23 Bonus track on CD reissue
Charles Mingus - bass , narration
Ed Armour, Rolf Ericson , Lonnie Hillyer , Ernie Royal , Clark Terry , Richard Williams , Snooky Young - trumpet
Eddie Bert , Jimmy Cleveland , Willie Dennis , Paul Faulise, Quentin Jackson , Britt Woodman - trombone
Romeo Penque - oboe
Danny Bank - bass clarinet
Buddy Collette , Eric Dolphy , Charlie Mariano , Charles McPherson - alto saxophone
George Berg, Zoot Sims - tenor saxophone
Pepper Adams , Jerome Richardson - baritone saxophone
Warren Smith - vibraphone , percussion
Toshiko Akiyoshi , Jaki Byard – piano
Les Spann - guitar
Milt Hinton - bass
Dannie Richmond - drums
Grady Tate - percussion
Bob Hammer , Gene Roland - arranger
Melba Liston - arranger, conductor
^ Charles Mingus discography accessed November 29, 2012
^ Charles Mingus discography accessed November 29, 2012
^ Gene Santoro (2000-06-06). "Town Hall Train Wreck" . The Village Voice. Retrieved 2012-11-29 .
^ a b The Complete Town Hall Concert - Charles Mingu... | AllMusic , retrieved 2024-06-15
^ Zoric, Lauren (1 October 2000). "Fitter, Happier, More Productive" . Juice . Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2007 .
^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide . USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 140. ISBN 0-394-72643-X .
^ Cook, Richard ; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin . p. 1003. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0 .
Studio albums Live albums Books Related
Year(s) indicated are for the recording(s), not first release, except in most cases where this was long delayed
As leader or co-leader Solo piano WithCharles Mingus With others
Live in '65 (Art Blakey DVD, 1965)
Body and Soul (Al Cohn & Zoot Sims , 1973)
Double Exposure (Chris Connor & Maynard Ferguson ), 196061)
Far Cry (Eric Dolphy , 1961)
Outward Bound (Eric Dolphy, 1961)
How Time Passes (Don Ellis , 1960)
New Ideas (Don Ellis, 1961)
The Freedom Book (Booker Ervin , 1963)
The Space Book (Booker Ervin, 1964)
Groovin' High (Booker Ervin, 1963–64)
The Trance (Booker Ervin, 1965)
Setting the Pace (Dexter Gordon & Booker Ervin, 1965)
Heavy!!! (Booker Ervin, 1966)
Newport Suite (Maynard Ferguson , 1960)
Let's Face the Music and Dance (Maynard Ferguson, 1960)
Maynard '61 (Maynard Ferguson, 1960–61)
Two's Company (Maynard Ferguson and Chris Connor, 1960–61)
"Straightaway" Jazz Themes (Maynard Ferguson, 1961)
Maynard '64 (Maynard Ferguson, 1961)
Manhattan Plaza (Ricky Ford , 1978)
Manhattan Blues (Ricky Ford, 1989)
Ebony Rhapsody (Ricky Ford, 1990)
American-African Blues (Ricky Ford, 1991)
Honi Gordon Sings (Honi Gordon , 1962)
Smackwater Jack (Quincy Jones , 1971)
Five on Eight (Rufus "Speedy" Jones , 1964)
Dr. Chicago (Clifford Jordan , 1984)
Rip, Rig and Panic (Roland Kirk , 1965)
Here Comes the Whistleman (Roland Kirk, 1966)
Grits & Gravy (Eric Kloss , 1966)
Sky Shadows (Eric Kloss, 1968)
In the Land of the Giants (Eric Kloss, 1969)
Involution (Michael Marcus , 1998)
Charlie Mariano with His Jazz Group (Charlie Mariano , 1950)
Modern Saxophone Stylings of Charlie Mariano (Charlie Mariano, 1951)
Year of the Iron Sheep (Ken McIntyre , 1962)
Home (Ken McIntyre, 1975)
Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 1 (Mingus Dynasty , 1988)
Live at the Theatre Boulogne-Billancourt/Paris, Vol. 2 , 1988)
Body and Soul (Ray Nance , 1969)
Life Is a Many Splendored Gig (Herb Pomeroy , 1957)
"In" Jazz for the Culture Set (Dannie Richmond , 1965)
Fuchsia Swing Song (Sam Rivers , 1964)
Rhythm Is Our Business (Jordan Sandke , 1985)
Lady Bird (Archie Shepp , 1978)
Amarcord Nino Rota (Hal Willner , 1981)
Musique du Bois (Phil Woods , 1974)
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader or co-leader WithCharles Mingus With others
Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus (1963)
Just Be Bop (Toshiko Akiyoshi , 1980)
For Sure! (Kenny Drew , 1978)
Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall (Clint Eastwood , 1996)
The Many Faces of Art Farmer (1964)
Newer Than New (Barry Harris , 1961)
Bull's Eye! (Barry Harris, 1968)
Cello Again (Sam Jones , 1976)
Boppin' & Burnin' (Don Patterson , 1968)
Funk You! (Don Patterson, 1968)
Bird Lives! (Red Rodney , 1973)
Impact (Charles Tolliver , 1975)
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
As leader or co-leader
The Brothers (and Stan Getz , 1949–52)
Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims (1956)
The Modern Art of Jazz by Zoot Sims (1956)
Tonite's Music Today (and Bob Brookmeyer , 1956)
Whooeeee (and Bob Brookmeyer, 1956)
Zoot! (1956)
Locking Horns (and Joe Newman , 1957)
Stretching Out (and Bob Brookmeyer, 1958)
Jazz Alive! A Night at the Half Note (and Al Cohn, Phil Woods , 1959)
Down Home (1960)
Two Jims and Zoot /Otra Vez (Jimmy Raney and Jim Hall , 1964)
Inter-Action (and Sonny Stitt , 1965)
Waiting Game (1966)
The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World (multiple leaders, 1967)
Nirvana (and Bucky Pizzarelli , Buddy Rich , 1974)
Basie & Zoot (and Count Basie , 1975)
The Tenor Giants Featuring Oscar Peterson (and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis , 1975)
Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers (and Joe Pass , Oscar Peterson , 1975)
Soprano Sax (1976)
Hawthorne Nights (1976)
If I'm Lucky (and Jimmy Rowles , 1977)
For Lady Day (1978)
Warm Tenor (and Jimmy Rowles , 1979)
The Sweetest Sounds (and Rune Gustafsson , 1979)
Just Friends (and Harry Edison , 1980)
Art 'n' Zoot (and Art Pepper , 1981)
Recordings withAl Cohn
From A to...Z (1956)
The Sax Section (Cohn led, 1956)
Tenor Conclave (and Hank Mobley , John Coltrane , 1957)
The Four Brothers... Together Again! (and Herbie Steward , Serge Chaloff , 1957)
Al and Zoot (1957)
Blues and Haikus (Jack Kerouac , 1959)
SteveIreneo! (and Irene Kral , Steve Allen , 1959)
Son of Drum Suite (Cohn, 1960)
You 'n' Me (1960)
Either Way (1961)
Jazz Mission to Moscow (Cohn, 1962)
Body and Soul (1973)
Motoring Along (1974)
WithQuincy Jones WithGerry Mulligan With others
Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus (1963)
Encounter! (Pepper Adams , 1968)
Trigger Happy! /East Coast Sounds (Trigger Alpert /Sims, Cohn, Tony Scott , 1956)
Chet Baker & Strings (1953–54)
Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe (1959)
The Bosses (Count Basie and "Big Joe" Turner , 1973)
Louis Bellson Quintet (1954)
The Genius of Ray Charles (1959)
Jazz Is Universal (Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band , 1961)
Chris Connor (1956)
The Book Cooks (Booker Ervin , 1960)
Loose Blues (Bill Evans , 1962)
The Aztec Suite (Art Farmer , 1959)
South American Cookin' (Curtis Fuller , 1961)
Creole Cookin' (Bobby Hackett , 1967)
The Hawk in Hi Fi (Coleman Hawkins , 1956)
Portraits on Standards (Stan Kenton , 1953)
The Kenton Era (Stan Kenton, 1953)
The Manhattan Transfer (released 1975)
Profiles (Gary McFarland , 1966)
Something to Swing About (Carmen McRae , 1959)
Ms. Jazz (Carmen McRae, 1973)
Metronome All-Stars 1956 (1956)
The Complete Town Hall Concert (Charles Mingus , 1962)
Arranged by Montrose (Jack Montrose , 1954)
Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oliver Nelson , 1966)
The Sound of Feeling (Oliver Nelson, 1966)
Jazzhattan Suite (Oliver Nelson/Jazz Interactions Orchestra, 1967)
All the Sad Young Men (Anita O'Day , 1962)
Transition (Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton , 1974)
Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (1954)
Samba Para Dos (Lalo Schifrin , Bob Brookmeyer, 1963)
Moonlight in Vermont (Johnny Smith , 1952)
Phoebe Snow (1974)
Broadway Soul (Sonny Stitt , 1965)
Vaughan and Violins (Sarah Vaughan , 1958)
The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 1 (Sarah Vaughan, 1979)
Linger Awhile: Live at Newport and More (Sarah Vaughan, 1979)
The Jazz Guitarist (Chuck Wayne, 1953)
At Newport '63 (Joe Williams , 1963)
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader or co-leader WithDuke Ellington WithJohnny Hodges WithQuincy Jones WithHerbie Mann WithOliver Nelson With others
My Kinda Swing (Ernestine Anderson , 1959)
Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments (Bob Brookmeyer, 1961)
Soul Summit Vol. 2 (Gene Ammons , 1961)
Late Hour Special (Gene Ammons, 1961–62)
Velvet Soul (Gene Ammons, 1962)
One Foot in the Gutter (Dave Bailey , 1960)
Gettin' Into Somethin' (Dave Bailey, 1960)
Goodies (George Benson , 1968)
Bobo's Beat (Willie Bobo , 1968)
Jam Session (Clifford Brown , 1954)
Ruth Brown '65 (Ruth Brown , 1964)
Who Is Gary Burton? (1962)
Byrd at the Gate (Charlie Byrd , 1963)
Son of Drum Suite (Al Cohn , 1960)
The Magic Touch (Tadd Dameron , 1962)
Afro-Jaws (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis , 1960)
Trane Whistle (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, 1960)
Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra (1962)
Ella Abraça Jobim (Ella Fitzgerald , 1980–81)
Big Band Bossa Nova (Stan Getz , 1962)
Stan Getz Plays Music from the Soundtrack of Mickey One (1965)
Gillespiana (Dizzy Gillespie , 1960)
Carnegie Hall Concert (Dizzy Gillespie, 1961)
Cookin' (Paul Gonsalves , 1957)
The Big Soul-Band (Johnny Griffin , 1960)
White Gardenia (Johnny Griffin, 1961)
Homage to Duke (Dave Grusin , 1993)
The Further Adventures of El Chico (Chico Hamilton , 1966)
It's About Time (Jimmy Hamilton , 1961)
You Better Know It!!! (Lionel Hampton , 1964)
Really Big! (Jimmy Heath , 1960)
Friends Old and New (John Hicks , 1992)
Yoyogi National Stadium, Tokyo 1983: Return to Happiness (JATP , 1983)
Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants (1960)
J.J.! (J.J. Johnson , 1964)
Goodies (J.J. Johnson, 1965)
Concepts in Blue (J.J. Johnson, 1980)
Summit Meeting (Elvin Jones , 1977)
Down Home (Sam Jones , 1962)
At Newport '63 (Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan , 1963)
The Centaur and the Phoenix (Yusef Lateef , 1960)
Themes from Mr. Lucky, The Untouchables and Other TV Action Jazz (Mundell Lowe , 1960)
Satan in High Heels (Mundell Lowe, 1961)
The Soul of Hollywood (Junior Mance , 1962)
The Jazz Version of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying" (Gary McFarland , 1961)
Tijuana Jazz (Gary McFarland, 1965)
Mingus Revisited /Pre-Bird (Charles Mingus , 1960)
The Complete Town Hall Concert (Charles Mingus, 1962)
Smooth as the Wind (Blue Mitchell , 1960–61)
A Sure Thing (Blue Mitchell, 1962)
Jazz Dialogue (Modern Jazz Quartet , 1965)
Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band at the Village Vanguard (1960)
Gerry Mulligan '63 (Gerry Mulligan , 1962)
That's How I Love the Blues! (Mark Murphy , 1962)
Nine Flags (Chico O'Farrill , 1966)
Oscar Peterson and the Trumpet Kings – Jousts (1974)
The Alternate Blues (Oscar Peterson, 1980)
The Trumpet Summit Meets the Oscar Peterson Big 4 (1980)
Basically Duke (Oscar Pettiford , 1954)
The Trumpet Kings Meet Joe Turner (Big Joe Turner , 1974)
Bossa Nova Carnival (Dave Pike , 1962)
Jazz for the Jet Set (Dave Pike, 1965)
Sonny Rollins and the Big Brass (1958)
New Fantasy (Lalo Schifrin , 1964)
Once a Thief and Other Themes (Lalo Schifrin, 1965)
Hobo Flats (Jimmy Smith , 1963)
The Matadors Meet the Bull (Sonny Stitt , 1965)
I Keep Comin' Back! (Sonny Stitt, 1966)
Taylor Made Jazz (Billy Taylor , 1959)
New York City R&B (Cecil Taylor , 1961)
Kwamina (Billy Taylor, 1961)
Out of the Storm (Ed Thigpen , 1966)
Devil May Care (Teri Thornton , 1960–61)
Joyride (Stanley Turrentine , 1965)
Live at Newport (McCoy Tyner , 1963)
Dinah Jams (Dinah Washington , 1954)
Uhuru Afrika (Randy Weston , 1960)
At Newport '63 (with Joe Williams , 1963)
New York, New Sound (Gerald Wilson , 2003)
Kai Olé (Kai Winding , 1961)
The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode (Jimmy Woode , 1957)