Lamelolewis

The atmosphere this record builds makes it feel like a film soundtrack. Miles Davis finds an interesting way to blend his trumpet performance into Gil Evans' arrangements, which leads to some beautiful instrumentals. The album definitely peaked with the opening track. It didn't feel as long as it did because every second was utilized beautifully. If you're into an atmospheric experience when listening to music, this is definitely an essential listen. Very impressive production ... read more

I'll start off by saying that Mingus and Eric Dolphy have great chemistry. The instrumentation is stellar as expected from someone as legendary as Mingus in the jazz scene. However, some segments dragged out a bit much and it led to a slightly tedious listen. "What Love" reminds me of the song "Moonchild" by King Crimson. There are some great moments, but there's the long segment in between that feels lacking in substance. This is still a very good record, I just ... read more

For an album called "Blues & Roots," this record was surprisingly upbeat. The title is pretty straight forward as the tracklist consists entirely of blues style jazz, but this is some of the most fast paced, swingin'-ist blues you'll ever hear. Mingus is an absolute legend on the bass, and if he wasn't called "The Angry Man of Jazz," I'm sure everyone else involved would've had a blast recording this. "Moanin'" is a legendary song ... read more

Giant Steps is very consistent and bold especially for the time period it was created in. Throughout each track, the bass compliments the percussion perfectly, and Coltrane plays the saxophone almost like he's making it talk, conveying emotion instead of keeping a repetitve melody. While most tracks move at a break neck pace showing off the groups precision, Naima serves as a beaitiful break track that overall elevates the experience. I think this record is a perfect gateway into jazz if ... read more