Take The ‘A’ Train – 1975
Charles Mingus
Gerry Mulligan and Benny Bailey sit in
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At the 1975 Montreux Jazz Festival, bassist Charles Mingus led his quintet of the time which also included trumpeter Jack Walrath, tenor-saxophonist George Adams, pianist Don Pullen, and drummer Dannie Richmond.
To finish their set, Mingus welcomed two guests, baritonist Gerry Mulligan and trumpeter Benny Bailey, to a jam session version of “Take The ‘A’ Train” while Adams and Walrath are mostly on the sidelines.
Bailey, an expatriate who had moved to Europe years ago, takes a colorful solo, Mulligan stretches out, and Don Pullen comes up with a wild improvisation.
Mingus and Mulligan trade off a bit, there are some loose choruses, Richmond gets a few drum breaks, and the performance ends in a logical fashion.
This unique version of “Take The ‘A’ Train is here in two parts, with Part 1 finishing at the end of Pullen’s solo before the song resumes on Part 2.
-Scott Yanow
