Sold Date: October 25, 2020
Start Date: October 18, 2020
Final Price: $275.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 465
Buyer Feedback: 0

Vinyl: EX+, high gloss with some light scuffing from sleeve, a couple very faint hairlines. Record isn't stone mint but it is a great listen. There is light surface noise at the beginning of track A on either side that disappears once the music starts. There is also the occasional crackle.
Cover: VG+, very light signs of wear on front and spine some light yellowing from age. A small number written in pencil on top right of back cover
Matrices: 1C/1E

This is the original 1959 Columbia 6-eye Mono Pressing with deep groove labels with no CBS written on the top. The disc label is one of a few variations of the first mono, with track A1 written above the spindle hole. Titles are left-justified. There is a 6 on the bottom right of the back cover which refers to the plant at which the jacket was manufactured (in this case, Imperial Packing Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana). Imperial Packing Co, Inc used two numbers, 6 and 4, to designate which pressing plant the covers were being supplied to. From this info we can ascertain that the record itself was pressed at Columbia's Los Angeles plant.

Description: "Charles Mingus' debut for Columbia, Mingus Ah Um is a stunning summation of the bassist's talents and probably the best reference point for beginners. While there's also a strong case for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady as his best work overall, it lacks Ah Um's immediate accessibility and brilliantly sculpted individual tunes. Mingus' compositions and arrangements were always extremely focused, assimilating individual spontaneity into a firm consistency of mood, and that approach reaches an ultra-tight zenith on Mingus Ah Um. The band includes longtime Mingus stalwarts already well versed in his music, like saxophonists John Handy, Shafi Hadi, and Booker Ervin; trombonists Jimmy Knepper and Willie Dennis; pianist Horace Parlan; and drummer Dannie Richmond. Their razor-sharp performances tie together what may well be Mingus' greatest, most emotionally varied set of compositions. At least three became instant classics, starting with the irrepressible spiritual exuberance of signature tune "Better Get It in Your Soul," taken in a hard-charging 6/8 and punctuated by joyous gospel shouts. "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a slow, graceful elegy for Lester Young, who died not long before the sessions. The sharply contrasting "Fables of Faubus" is a savage mockery of segregationist Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, portrayed musically as a bumbling vaudeville clown (the scathing lyrics, censored by skittish executives, can be heard on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus). The underrated "Boogie Stop Shuffle" is bursting with aggressive swing, and elsewhere there are tributes to Mingus' most revered influences: "Open Letter to Duke" is inspired by Duke Ellington and "Jelly Roll" is an idiosyncratic yet affectionate nod to jazz's first great composer, Jelly Roll Morton. It simply isn't possible to single out one Mingus album as definitive, but Mingus Ah Um comes the closest." - Steve Huey, allmusic.com