Three or Four Shades of Blues

by Charles Mingus

Three or Four Shades of Blues cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: October 1977
  • Label: Atlantic
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 44:49
  • Community rating: 3.51/5 from 2 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

In a surprising late-career pivot, the legendary acoustic bassist embraces electric fusion, expanding his ensemble to prominently feature electric guitarists Philip Catherine and Larry Coryell. The album includes radical, heavily arranged modern updates of classic Mingus compositions like 'Goodbye Pork Pie Hat' and 'Haitian Fight Song'. It proved to be a major commercial success and stands as his final fully realized studio recording before his health rapidly declined.

Genres

Descriptors: improvisation, instrumental

Tracklist

  1. Better Git Hit in Your Soul (4:39)
  2. Goodbye, Porkpie Hat (7:13)
  3. Noddin Ya Head Blues (10:35)
  4. Three or Four Shades of Blue (12:12)
  5. Nobody Knows (10:09)

Credits

  • Charles Mingus - primary artist, arranged by, bass, written-by, soloist [1st], soloist [5th], soloist [6th], soloist [8th]
  • Sonny Fortune - alto saxophone, soloist [1st]
  • George Coleman - alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, soloist [4th], soloist [2nd], soloist [9th]
  • Paul Jeffrey - arranged by
  • George Mraz - bass, soloist [1st]
  • Ron Carter - bass
  • Dannie Richmond - drums
  • John Scofield - guitar, soloist [10th], soloist [2nd]

More from Charles Mingus: full discography