The Clown in Bloomington, MN

The Clown
was
Charles Mingus
' second masterpiece in a row, upping the already intense emotional commitment of
Pithecanthropus Erectus
and burning with righteous anger and frustration. With
Pithecanthropus
,
Mingus
displayed a gift for airtight, focused arrangements that nonetheless allowed his players great freedom to add to the established mood of each piece.
refines and heightens that gift; instead of just writing heads that provide launch points for solos,
tries to evoke something specific with every piece, and even his most impressionistic forays have a strong storytelling quality. In fact,
's title cut makes that explicit with a story verbally improvised by
Jean Shepherd
(yes, the same
responsible for
A Christmas Story
) from a predetermined narrative. There are obvious
jazz
parallels in the clown's descent into bitterness with every unresponsive, mean-spirited audience, but the track is even more interesting for the
free improvisations
led by trombonist
Jimmy Knepper
, as the group responds to
Shepherd
's story and paints an aural backdrop. It's evidence that
' compositional palette was growing more determinedly modern, much like his increasing use of dissonance, sudden tempo changes, and multiple sections.
introduced two of
' finest compositions in the driving, determined
"Haitian Fight Song"
and the '40s-flavored
"Reincarnation of a Lovebird,"
a peaceful but melancholy tribute to
Charlie Parker
;
would return to both throughout his career. And, more than just composing and arranging,
also begins to take more of the spotlight as a soloist; in particular, his unaccompanied sections on
make it one of his fieriest moments ever.
may have matched the urgency of
on later albums, but he never quite exceeded it. ~ Steve Huey