Newport Rebels is an album by various artists released under the Jazz Artists Guild, led by bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach, that was recorded in November 1960 and released on the Candid label.Charles Mingus discography, accessed May 1, 2015.
Background
Though the album is a standard studio album, the recording and group resulted from the 1960 Cliff Walk Manor (or C.W.M.) concert, aka Newport Rebels festival, aka "the protest festival" and sometimes known as the "Rump Festival", organized by Charles Mingus and Max Roach as a protest against the exploitation of the Newport Jazz Festival.
The regular 1960 Newport Jazz Festival was shut down by violent riotingof drunken youths, while Mingus and Roach's alternative festival happened without incident.
Nat Hentoff's liner notes explain the background situation of the album and festival:
Reception
The contemporaneous DownBeat reviewer commented: "One of the non-insignificant faults of this album is a looseness that induces sloppy playing", and identified Jones as the main culprit. AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow states: "In 1960 bassist Charles Mingus helped to organize an alternative Newport Jazz Festival in protest of Newport's conservative and increasingly commercial booking policy. The music on this LP (which has been reissued on CD) features some of the musicians who participated in Mingus's worthy if short-lived venture".
Track listing "Mysterious Blues" (Charles Mingus) – 8:35 "Cliff Walk" (Booker Little) – 9:37 "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" (Harry Barris) – 3:47 "Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do" (Everett Robbins, Porter Grainger) – 7:11 "Me and You" (Charles Mingus, Jo Jones, Roy Eldridge, Tommy Flanagan) – 9:46
Personnel Roy Eldridge (tracks 1, 3 & 5), Booker Little (track 2), Benny Bailey (track 4) – trumpet Jimmy Knepper (track 1), Julian Priester (track 2) – trombone Eric Dolphy – alto saxophone (tracks 1 & 4) Walter Benton – tenor saxophone (track 2) Tommy Flanagan (tracks 1, 3 & 5), Kenny Dorham (track 4) – piano Charles Mingus (tracks 1, 3 & 5), Peck Morrison (tracks 2 & 4) – bass Jo Jones (all tracks), Max Roach (track 2) – drums Abbey Lincoln – vocals (track 4)
References