Mingus (Joni Mitchell album)

Mingus is the tenth studio album by Canadian musician Joni Mitchell. It was released on June 13, 1979, and was her last studio album for Asylum Records.^[1] The album is a collaboration between Mitchell and Charles Mingus. It was recorded in the months before and after Mingus' death in January 1979 and is wholly dedicated to him. The album is one of Mitchell's most experimental and jazz-centric works. Mingus originally wrote six compositions ("Joni I-VI") for Mitchell to write lyrics for, and three of these were included on the album. Two other tracks written exclusively by Mitchell are included, alongside a new version of Mingus' standard "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", featuring lyrics written by Mitchell. In addition to these, five spoken word tracks (denoted as "raps") are dispersed throughout the album.

Mingus
Studio album by Joni Mitchell
Released	June 13, 1979
Recorded	1978–1979
Studio	A&M (Hollywood) and Electric Lady (New York)
Genre	Jazz fusion
Length	37:20
Label	Asylum
Producer	Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell chronology
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (1977) Mingus (1979) Shadows and Light (1980)
Singles from Mingus
"The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" Released: July 1979

Mitchell is backed on the album by Jaco Pastorius (who had also contributed to Mitchell's two previous albums) on fretless bass, Wayne Shorter on saxophone, Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Peter Erskine on drums and Don Alias on percussion. Mingus received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and peaked at number 17 in the US. "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines" was released as a single to promote the album, but did not chart. Mitchell would tour to promote the album through 1979–80; performances from these concerts would be documented on the live album Shadows and Light (1980).

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	C+[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
Pitchfork	5.5/10[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]

The Globe and Mail wrote that "the melodies have a little wider range and a more legitimate jazz feeling to them than Mitchell could compose, but given Mitchell's peculiar vocal talent, what started out Mingus ended up sounding just like Joni Mitchell, moving forward once again into new territory."^[6]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Happy Birthday 1975" (Rap)	—	Mildred J. Hill	0:57
2.	"God Must Be a Boogie Man"	Joni Mitchell	Mitchell	4:35
3.	"Funeral" (Rap)	—	—	1:07
4.	"A Chair in the Sky"	Mitchell	Charles Mingus	6:42
5.	"The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey"	Mitchell	Mitchell	6:35

Side two

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"I's a Muggin'" (Rap)	Stuff Smith	Smith	0:07
2.	"Sweet Sucker Dance"	Mitchell	Mingus	8:04
3.	"Coin in the Pocket" (Rap)	—	—	0:11
4.	"The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines"	Mitchell	Mingus	3:21
5.	"Lucky" (Rap)	—	—	0:03
6.	"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"	Mitchell	Mingus	5:37

Personnel

Sources:^[7][1]

Musicians

Prior to recording the album, Mitchell had several "experimental sessions" with New York musicians who had worked with Mingus. These musicians included:

• Eddie Gómez – bass
• John Guerin – drums
• Phil Woods – alto saxophone
• Gerry Mulligan – baritone saxophone
• Dannie Richmond – narration
• Tony Williams – drums
• John McLaughlin – guitar
• Jan Hammer – mini Moog
• Stanley Clarke – bass

The recordings of the "experimental sessions", rumored to have been lost, destroyed, or otherwise made unavailable, have become available as bootleg tapes.^{[citation needed]}

The personnel on the actual album were:

• Joni Mitchell – guitar, vocals
• Jaco Pastorius – bass; horn arrangement on "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines"
• Wayne Shorter – soprano saxophone
• Herbie Hancock – electric piano
• Peter Erskine – drums
• Don Alias – congas
• Emil Richards – percussion
• Wolves – howling on "The Wolf That Lives in Lindsay"

Technical

Mixed by Joni Mitchell, Henry Lewy and Steve Katz
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Personal Management: Elliot Roberts
Paintings by Joni Mitchell
Art direction: Glen Christensen

Recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood by Henry Lewy and Steve Katz
Additional recordings at Electric Lady Studios, New York by Henry Lewy and Jerry Solomon

Charts

Chart performance for Mingus

Chart (1979)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[8]	44
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[9]	37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10]	27
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[11]	48
UK Albums (OCC)[12]	24
US Billboard 200[13]	17
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[14]	19

Chart (2024)	Peak position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ)[15]	28

See also

• River: The Joni Letters