Three or Four Shades of Blues
| Three or Four Shades of Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Three or Four Shades of Blues.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Charles Mingus | ||||
| Released | 1977 | |||
| Recorded | March 9, 10 & 29, 1977 in NYC | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 44:13 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Ilhan Mimaroglu | |||
| Charles Mingus chronology | ||||
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Three or Four Shades of Blues is an album by Charles Mingus recorded for the Atlantic label in 1977. It features two new versions of Mingus' "standards" and three new compositions performed by large ensembles featuring saxophonists Ricky Ford, George Coleman, and Sonny Fortune, pianists Jimmy Rowles and Larry Coryell, guitarists Philip Catherine and John Scofield, bassists Ron Carter and George Mraz, trumpeter Jack Walrath, and drummer Dannie Richmond.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Q | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [3] |
| The Village Voice | A–[4] |
In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said the second side on Three or Four Shades of Blue was "the best composed bebop" he had heard in 1977, partly because Coryell and Fortune gave their most impressive performances in some time.[4] The New Yorker found the record "subtle and funny and full of Mingus's peculiar and unmistakable authority".[5] AllMusic's Stuart Kremsky was less enthusiastic in a retrospective review, writing that it was not Mingus's "best work, but not without merit". He felt the title track was one of his most successful attempts at longer compositions, even though he said the electric guitars were out of place.[1]
Track listing
All compositions by Charles Mingus.
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Recording date | Length |
| 1. | "Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul" | March 9, 1977 | 4:35 |
| 2. | "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" | March 9, 1977 | 7:00 |
| 3. | "Noddin Ya Head Blues" | March 9, 1977 | 10:29 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Recording date | Length |
| 4. | "Three or Four Shades of Blues" | March 29, 1977 | 12:03 |
| 5. | "Nobody Knows" | March 11, 1977 | 10:06 |
Personnel
- Charles Mingus: double bass, vocals, arranger
- Jack Walrath: trumpet
- Ricky Ford: tenor saxophone
- George Coleman: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone (tracks 1–4)
- Sonny Fortune: alto saxophone (track 5)
- Bob Neloms: piano
- Jimmy Rowles: piano (track 4)
- Philip Catherine: guitar (tracks 1–3 & 5)
- Larry Coryell: guitar (tracks 1–4)
- John Scofield: guitar (tracks 4 & 5)
- Ron Carter: bass (track 5)
- George Mraz: bass (tracks 1–3)
- Dannie Richmond: drums
- Paul Jeffrey: arranger
References
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- Three or Four Shades of Blues at Discogs (list of releases)
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kremsky, S. Allmusic Review accessed April 15, 2009.
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- ↑ The New Yorker, Volume 53, Issues 46-52, p. 63.
