Album Review: Blues & Roots

Charles Mingus is one of the most influential and distinguished figures in the history of jazz. The virtuosic double bassist, pianist, composer and bandleader has gone down in history as one of the leading figures in collective improvisation, which involves pieces primarily composed of improvisations throughout the entire ensemble.

“Blues & Roots” was released in March 1960 and an already established Mingus silenced critics, stating, “some people, particularly critics, were saying I didn't swing enough. I was born swinging and clapped my hands in church as a little boy, but I've grown up and I like to do things other than just swing. But blues can do more than just swing.”

This record certainly proves his point and every track on it tells a unique story with its dynamic soundscape and rhythmic precision. No matter how fast the tempo gets such as on “E’s Flat Ah’s Flat Too” or how slow the tempo steps back like on “Cryin’ Blues,” Mingus and his ensemble are ever-present “in the pocket,” an expression used mainly in jazz to describe musicians being exactly in a chosen tempo and style while not being too mechanical.

Mingus’s music lives on past his unfortunate death at 56 years old after a complicated battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which saw a decline in his double bass playing until he could not play anymore. Mingus will forever be known as a legend in the jazz scene and one of the most prominent American musicians ever.