The Friday Morning Listen

Weird Nightmare: Meditations on Mingus - Hal Willner

I'd have to say that this is probably the best tribute album ever recorded. Producer Hal Willner assembled a beyond great cast of musicians from various genres to pay tribute to the great jazz bassist/composer Charles Mingus. Check out this (incomplete) list:

• Leonard Cohen
  
• Elvis Costello
  
• Dr. John
  
• Diamanda Galás
  
• Robbie Robertson
  
• Henry Rollins
  
• Geri Allen
  
• Don Byron
  
• Marc Ribot
  
• Charlie Watts
  
• Ray Davies
  
• Don Alias
  
• Chuck D
  
• Greg Cohen
  
• Bill Frisell
  
• Chuck Leavell
  
• Howard Levy
  
• Bobby Previte
  
• Vernon Reid
  
• Keith Richards
  
• Henry Threadgill

Now normally I'd shy away from anything with such a huge ensemble. Here, it just plain works.

While the word 'tribute' is certainly appropriate, be prepared for radical reinterpretations of the material. It's jazz, but it's a lot more. Take a look at the list of styles for this album shown at allmusic.com: Rock & Roll, Modern Electric Blues, Piano Blues, Modern Creative, World Fusion, Singer/Songwriter, Hard Rock, Ethnic Fusion, Avant-Garde, Bop, Progressive Big Band, Fusion, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Bop, M-Base, Free Jazz, New Orleans R&B, Klezmer, Experimental, Crossover Jazz, Experimental Rock, Experimental Ambient, Album Rock, Avant-Garde Jazz, College Rock. Amen! I think they nailed it!

Weird Nightmare also has some pretty cool spoken word selections, again, something that almost never works for me. But to hear Elvis Costello's voice on "Weird Nightmare" as the Harry Parch-designed "cloud chamber bowls" ring in the background is to hear, well...I don't know exactly.

For me, it's heaven.

(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)

Article Author: Mark Saleski

Mark Saleski is a writer and music obsessive based out of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. He is an editor and writer for Jazz.com. He also writes reviews for Blogcritics.org and produces the weekly feature The Friday Morning Listen. …

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