Pre-Bird

Pre-Bird (later re-released as Mingus Revisited) is an album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus consisting of music that was composed before Mingus first heard Charlie Parker, hence the title Pre-Bird. It was released on Mercury Records in September 1961.^[3][4]

Pre-Bird
Studio album by Charles Mingus
Released	September 1961
Recorded	May 24–25, 1960
Studio	Plaza Sound Studios, NY
Genre	Jazz
Length	35:20
Label	Mercury (1961) Limelight (1965, as Mingus Revisited)
Producer	Leonard Feather
Charles Mingus chronology
Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (1960) Pre-Bird (1961) Mingus (1961)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

Recording

The album was recorded over May 24–25, 1960 at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City. Tracks 4, 7, and 8 were recorded on the 24th, with tracks 1-3, 5, and 6 recorded the following day.^[5]

The album includes two tracks which feature contrapuntal arrangements of swing era pieces, aided by stereo mixing. In the first, "Take the "A" Train" is played in the left channel, paired with "Exactly Like You" in the right channel. The same is done with "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me" and "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Charles Mingus (except where noted).

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Take The 'A' Train"/"Exactly Like You"	Dorothy Fields ("Exactly")	Billy Strayhorn/Jimmy McHugh	3:34
2.	"Prayer For Passive Resistance"			3:49
3.	"Eclipse"			3:45
4.	"Mingus Fingus No. 2"			3:22
5.	"Weird Nightmare"			3:35
6.	"Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me"/"I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"	Bob Russell/Irving Mills, Henry Nemo, John Redmond	Duke Ellington (all)	3:33
7.	"Bemoanable Lady"			4:22
8.	"Half-Mast Inhibition"			8:12

Personnel

Personnel via MusicBrainz.^[5]

Brass

• Marcus Belgrave - trumpet
• Ted Curson - trumpet
• Hobart Dotson - trumpet
• Clark Terry - trumpet
• Richard Williams - trumpet
• Eddie Bert - trombone
• Charles "Majeed" Greenlee - trombone
• Slide Hampton - trombone
• Jimmy Knepper - trombone

Woodwinds

• Danny Bank - saxophone
• Bill Barron - saxophone
• Robert Di Domenica - flute
• Eric Dolphy - alto saxophone, flute
• Booker Ervin - saxophone
• Joe Farrell - saxophone
• John LaPorta - saxophone
• Yusuf Lateef - saxophone, flute
• Harry Shulman - oboe

Vocals

• Lorraine Cusson - vocals (tracks 3, 5)

Keys

• Paul Bley - piano
• Roland Hanna - piano

Strings

• Charles Mingus – bass

Percussion

• Sticks Evans - drums
• Dannie Richmond - drums
• Max Roach - drums
• George Scott - drums

Production

• Leonard Feather - Production, liner notes
• Gunther Schuller - conductor