Charles Mingus - The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is a 1963 jazz composition and album by bassist and composer Charles Mingus. The piece consists of a single six-part suite performed by an eleven-piece band. An intensely emotional work, it displays Mingus's skills as musician, composer and band leader.



Written as a ballet, the work borrows from Ellingtonian and Latin sources, but creates a unique orchestral style that Mingus called "ethnic folk-dance music".



The orchestrations (described as "one of the greatest achievements [...] by any composer in jazz history" by Allmusic) are rich and multi-layered. Mingus's perfectionism led to extensive use of studio overdubbing techniques.



Track A features the tuba virtuoso Don Butterfield playing a contrabass trombone.



The album features liner notes written by Mingus and his psychotherapist, Dr. Edmund Pollock.



Side one



   1. "Track A — Solo Dancer" –6:20

      Stop! Look! and Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!

   2. "Track B — Duet Solo Dancers" –6:25

      Hearts' Beat and Shades in Physical Embraces

   3. "Track C — Group Dancers" –7:00

      (Soul Fusion) Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries



Side two



   1. "Mode D — Trio and Group Dancers"

      Stop! Look! and Sing Songs of Revolutions!



    "Mode E — Single Solos and Group Dance"

    Saint and Sinner Join in Merriment on Battle Front

    "Mode F — Group and Solo Dance"

    Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt, then Farewell, My Beloved, 'til It's Freedom Day –17:52