Money Jungle

Money Jungle (Blue Note) It has been hailed by some as "one of the greatest piano trio recordings in jazz history," but no matter what your take is on this historic reissue from 1962, Money Jungle commands attention for no other reason than it brought together a triumvirate of jazz giants for a one-off session that created music of roiling turbulence and delicate beauty. Also noteworthy is the fact that throughout his unparalleled, 50-year career, Duke Ellington rarely recorded in a trio setting, let alone one of this caliber. The session originally appeared on the now-long-defunct United Artist imprint, recorded between Ellington's masterful Impulse albums with Coleman Hawkins and John Coltrane, and features an all-Ellington program of evergreens, unusually modernist compositions, and unremarkable blues. Drummer Max Roach once told me about the friction that accompanied the recording: how Ellington invited the others to bring individual compositions, then used only his own, and how he and bassist Charles Mingus had to fight for every inch of solo space. Roach described Mingus, a volatile time bomb under the best circumstances, at one point storming out of the session, and that it took Ellington's fatherly arm-around-the-shoulder and soothing words of praise and encouragement to bring the tearful titan back into the studio to complete the date. This "creative tension" is felt most acutely on the title track and on a tumultuous version of "Caravan," Ellington's uncharacteristically percussive syncopations keeping barely ahead of the thundering onslaught of Mingus and Roach. The trio also fashions beautifully complimentary renderings of Ellingtonia on "Solitude," "Fleurette Africaine," and "Warm Valley." Anyone doubting Ellington's prowess as an instrumentalist will be duly impressed by the command of his playing and the modernity of his ideas. After 40 years, Money Jungle stands, more than ever, as a masterful meeting of jazz royalty.
You know, there are some albums that you pretty much think have to be good, and you have these enormously high expectations for them. And more often than not, they don't quite live up to them. "Money Jungle" is one of the exceptions to that rule. A dream meeting-- bandleader Duke Ellington sits at the piano, generously supported by his compositional heir in bassist Charles Mingus and sublime bop drummer Max Roach. With this backing, Ellington is inspired in a far more assertive light than he is usually found as Mingus and Roach push him along. Mingus is downright aggressive and perhaps even angry throughout the proceedings-- check his playing "Money Jungle", where he occasioanlly switches from his swing to an aggressive repetitive figure, as if daring his collaborators to drift outside of the swing (they don't), or his fierceness on "Wig Wise" in sharp contrast to Ellington's light and bouncey touch. Somehow, Roach, often considered the most lyrical of drummers, finds a way to negotiate through this and keep the tension between Ellington and Mingus to a boil. The entire record is pretty much a highlight-- from the fluttering bass of "Fleurette Africaine" (echoed by Ellington and Roach) to Ellington's beautiful revisitation of "Solitude" (in my favorite reading of the piece) to the straight blues of "REM Blues", there's not a bad cut on here, although I suspect anybody deeply rooted in the swing tradition will find the playing a bit out of character, and certainly Ellington is inspired into a different light by his younger protegees. Nonetheless, as far as jazz records go, this one is pretty much indispensible. Highly recommended.
Tracklist:
Tracklist:
1) Money Jungle
2) Fleurette Africaine
3) Very Special
4) Warm Valley
5) Wig Wise
6) Caravan
7) Solitude