Customer Reviews
More mysterious than the Holy Grail. - By: C. Stacey, 07 Jul 2008 
Forgive the tital, but how exactly do I define an album such as this, or indeed an artist like Mingus? This is the most undoubted five-star I have ever given, because, unlike most art, which either seems clear & gives you a good impression, or seems clear but gives you a banal impression, this does not seem clear (in any of the multiple meanings of the term) , but gives you a transcendentally impressed feeling afterwards.
Certainly, it does seem quite gloomy. The title makes me think of some sort of lost scripture, with depressing implications for the fate of mankind, & the music is a series of movements circulating around the theme of damnation & torturein chains. The sounds which emerge: thundering, percussive drums, screaming brass, heavy piano, & frankly tempestuous bass from Mingus. The one sound that redeems: the guitar. We feel as if this one voice holds the key to the redemption of the Black Saint & his Sinner Lady, & yet somehow he is still bound downin chains by a clever clash between the alternating keys of the two sections- the guitar & the rest of the orchestra.
If I gave you one reason to buy it, i would say that it is the centre of Mingus's canon, & indeed, the rest of the over 17000 LPs that Impulse releasedin its lifetime. In its cryptic quality, it fulfils some essentia l sensory longing for coherence. In 1966, when this was recorded, Charles Mingus was undergoing, according to his Biography, some more extensive therapy for his nervous disorder. I assure you that his genius has never been as apparent as on this record, where he fights against the worldly oppression which at the same time represents his natural condition. And yet, one feels that this is the unfulfilment of his wishes.
A final note, & one which every reviewer notes when dealing with this album: his psychiatrist wrote the liner notes. I think just that fact does not need explaining, & neither ( although I have hypocritically attempted to do so!) does his music. "Listen & behold the beautiful Black Mirical". Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
He must be laughing - By: Philip Veasey, 07 Apr 2008 I bought an early vinyl copy of this album when it was first issued & got much amusement (as did my parents) from playing it to unsuspecting friends. Their movement, or lack of it, was most revealing. Very few noticed what the previous 5 reviewers also seem to have missed, that this is the most accomplished & most explicit musical description of sexual activity that has ever been recorded. Track 2 most obviously. When I met him at Ronnie Scott's, he confirmed that it was his favourite trap for the pretentious. Brilliant.
epic jazz masterpiece - By: Hawkeye, 19 Sep 2007 Anyone who has enjoyed Mingus's shorter compositions & arrangements from earlier landmark LPs, for example 'Ah Um' & 'Dynasty' will absolutely love this, as 'The Black Saint...' contains all of Mingus's trademark compositional techniques from those albums & much (much) more - Charles Mariano's fervent alto sax solos, the typical Mingus style slow build-up accelerating to fantastic climaxes, the Ellington-inspired orchestrations (with unusual instrumental combinations & stylistic clashes - an example being the allusions to flamenco guitar). The sheer density (bothin texture & stylistic layering) have sometimes led to criticism of this album, but for me, this is what makes it so richly rewarding. This is some of the most passionate music you will ever hear.
One of Mingus's finest - By: , 14 Apr 2005 I must admit that there are a fair few composersin jazz that I would put at the top of my list before Charles Mingus, (think Ellington, Nichols, Monk, Shorter, Hill, etc) yet there cannot be any more exciting opening than "Track A - Solo Dancer" on "The Black Saint & the sinner lady. " Stoked by the drums of Danny Richmond, the band swirls around the grumbling tones of the tubain a kaleidoscope of colours, the time signatures constantly shifting before a piercing soprano solo rounds things off, pursued by the growling brass. This is nothing short of incredible.
More than any other recording, this offering demonstrates the bassist's love of the music of Duke Ellington - indeed Rolf Ericson & Quentin Jackson played for the master at one time or the other. Elsewhere, Charlie Mariano's alto evokes Johnny Hodges. The second movement is even more bizarre, an over-blown 1940's big band ballad ( a very strong theme, this one) that morphs into a barbaric vamp on one chord. Jackson's "Tricky Sam" influenced muted trombone is a highlight here - the only way to play the instrument to my ears. After this, there is a bit of flamenco incongruously thrown in. Listening to this over & over again, it becomes impossible to calculate what was written & was improvised. What is certain , is that this music must have taken alot of energy to perform & the rendition of the composition is brilliant, all the musicians seeming determined to ensure it's success & having huge beliefin the music.
Here was a composer who was familliar with the whole history of jazz & not ashamed to employ earlier devices such as the Ellingtonesque trumpets & trombone to add richness to the work.
As with much of Mingus's music, there a few dull moments, particularlyin the last movement & the composition as a whole could have done with a few more themes rather than the opening one that is repacitulated on many occasions. However, this is rather curmudgeonly as, after "Ah, um", this is Charles Mingus's greatest recording.
In conclusion , this is another essential purchase for a serious jazz collection.
Prepare to be moved - By: Fishbonealice, 20 Jan 2005 I thought after 30 years of listening to music I could no longer be surprised. Wrong. I don't think a recording has ever stunned me the way Black Saint has. It's like nothing you've ever heard before, yet it has an emotional impact that is all too familiar & that touches your very core. It ebbs & flows with a dynamic grace & truth that is clearly a reflection of a genius, of a mind that could encapsulate all the highs & lows of the human condition like few others. Don't miss the opportunity to have thisin your collection. It will truly blow you mind. The only caveat is this: every other record you have will seem tame for a long time afterwards.
