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Draft:Moanin' (Charles Mingus song)

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"Moanin'"
Jazz composition by Charles Mingus
from the album Blues & Roots
WrittenFebruary 4, 1959
Released1960
StudioAtlantic Studios
GenreHard bop • Post Bop • Big Band
Length7:57
LabelAtlantic

Moanin' is a 1959 jazz composition by Charles Mingus, originally released on his 1960 album Blues & Roots.

Composition

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The piece follows an AABA form, with each section lasting sixteen measures. The song's harmony follows a i-♭VImaj7-iim7♭5-V7 chord progression in the key of F minor that Mingus has used on other compositions, including "Jump Monk", "Eulogy For Rudy Williams", "Reincarnation Of A Lovebird", and "Pithecanthropus Erectus".[1]

Reception

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The piece has been described as "wailing and propulsive",[2] and Pepper Adams' saxophone introduction has been noted as being "iconic."[3] The song is often used as an example when discussing the collective improvisational textures often found in Mingus' compositions.[4]

Personnel

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Personnel adapted from Charles Mingus' official website.[5]

References

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  1. ^ Mingus, Charles; Homzy, Andrew (1991). Charles Mingus, more than a fake book. New York, NY : Milwaukee, WI: Jazz Workshop ; Distributed by H. Leonard Pub. Corp. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7935-0900-3.
  2. ^ Isaac, Jeffrey C. (2018-02-19). "Moanin': On gun violence in the United States". Public Seminar. New York: The New School. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  3. ^ Carner, Gary (2023). "Urban Dreams". Pepper Adams: Saxophone Trailblazer. State University of New York Press. p. 168. doi:10.2307/jj.18255282.16. ISBN 978-1-4384-9435-7 – via JSTOR. Other than Pepper's iconic introduction to Mingus's "Moanin,'" his Monk solo would become the single most famous recording of his career.
  4. ^ Howland, John (2021). "Isaac Hayes and Hot Buttered (Orchestral) Soul, from Psychedelic to Progressive". Hearing Luxe Pop: Glorification, Glamour, and the Middlebrow in American Popular Music. California Studies in Music, Sound, and Media. Vol. 2 (1 ed.). University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-30010-1. Retrieved 2024-11-01 – via JSTOR.
  5. ^ "65 years of Blues & Roots by Charles Mingus..." Charles Mingus (Official Blog). Jazz Workshop, Inc. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
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Moanin' at AllMusic