Entry 516 - Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach - Money Jungle

 

I'll be the first to admit I'm not expert at Jazz. I feel like the random guy that comes in and goes "I like da sounds it makes," followed by a goofy laugh. Despite this, jazz fits a special place in my collection that no other style meets. The music speaks to me like no other genre can.

Duke Ellington in particular is a master of his instrument. His work on the piano is completely unmatched in my limited listening experience. Every record that I've ever heard him on is pure gold, and Money Jungle is no exception.

This album consists of  Duke on piano, Charlie on the double bass, and Max on drums. That's all you get. It's amazing what these guys do with just that.  

Somehow the trio has created a paradox. This album sounds so full and rich, akin to something you would get out a full ensemble. This is just three guys, playing their hearts out. The other side of this is it never sounds like it's more than the three instruments. It's a huge mystery how it sounds so incredibly full and complex yet so simple and refined all at the same time.

Apparently Money Jungle was recorded in one day... how the hell did these guys do that? I've heard albums that took years to write and prepare that don't hold a candle to the magic that's on this record. It's a mystery lost to the anneals of time.

I'm not going to go into a huge amount of detail about the music on Money Jungle. It's classic jazz. It's one of the prime examples of the best that the genre has to offer. The passion, the fun, the sadness, and the joy all wrapped up into one package performed by three of the masters.