Charles Mingus

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AllMusic marks Charles Mingus’ Blues & Roots as a rejoinder to the critical carping that the virtuoso bass player and accomplished jazz pianist and bandleader and his evocative music “somehow didn’t swing enough.” For this album Mingus turned to the earthiest and earliest sources of black musical expression — blues, gospel, and old-time New Orleans jazz. The resulting album ranks arguably as Mingus’ most joyously swinging outing.