Charles Mingus: Eat That Chicken

Many 1950s jazz modernists considered such forebears as Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller old hat. Not Charles Mingus. Here he sets aside the bass in favor of piano and vocalizes his homage to Waller, with whom he had much in common. Both were overlarge men, virtuoso instrumentalists and topflight composers; each had a devilish sense of humor. But don't overdo the similarities. If Waller had sung "Eat That Chicken," his tongue would've been firmly in cheek. Mingus, by contrast, doesn't so much invite us as dare us to touch his chewy morsel. With Mingus, danger lurks even in parody.