RECORD RE-RELEASE: Blues and Roots (Rhino Reserve series)

From Rhino:

Rooted firmly in gospel, blues and the old time Dixieland jazz of New Orleans, this essential jazz album drops just in time to kick off Black History Month 2026. Newly repackaged as part of Rhino's premium audiophile line, Rhino Reserves, Charles Mingus' BLUES AND ROOTS features audio cut from the original Mono tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab and lacquers pressed locally on 180 gram premium-quality vinyl at Fidelity Record Pressing's Southern California plant.

This album, Charles Mingus’ third for Atlantic, debuted some of the composer’s most memorable themes, including “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting,” “Moanin’,” and “E’s Flat Ah’s Flat Too” (a.k.a. “Hora Decubitus”). Today, February 4th, also happens to be the 67th anniversary of the original recording session date, which took place in 1959.

In the liner notes, Mingus explains,

This record is unusual — it presents only one part of my musical world, the blues. A year ago, Nesuhi Ertegün suggested that I record an entire blues album in the style of "Haitian Fight Song" (in Atlantic LP 1260), because some people, particularly critics, were saying I didn't swing enough. He wanted to give them a barrage of soul music: churchy, blues, swinging, earthy. I thought it over. 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. So I agreed.
…
We played down to earth and together, and I think this music has a tremendous amount of life and emotion.

Full track listing:
Side A
1. WEDNESDAY NIGHT PRAYER MEETING
2. CRYIN’ BLUES
3. MOANIN’
Side B
1. TENSIONS
2. MY JELLY ROLL SOUL
3. E’S FLAT AH’S FLAT TOO

Personnel:
Charles Mingus, bass; Jackie McLean & John Handy, alto saxes; Booker Ervin, tenor sax; Pepper Adams, baritone sax; Jimmy Knepper & Willie Dennis, trombones; Horace Parlan or Mal Waldron, piano; Dannie Richmond, drums.

Charles MingusComment