Mingus Dynasty - Consider Me

Mingus Dynasty in "Teatro Romano", Fiesole; Florence. (June 28th, 2009)
Original recording - Charlie Mingus's Finest Hour (1958); features Charles Mingus (bass), Langston Hughes (reading), Jimmy Knepper (trombone), Shafi Hadi (alto & tenor saxes), Horace Parlan (piano), Kenny Dennis (drums).
Music composed by Charles Mingus; poetry by Langston Hughes.
"Jazz gives poetry a much wider following, and poetry brings jazz the greater respectability that people seem to think it needs. I don't think jazz needs it, but most people seem to." - Langston Hughes (1958)
Mingus Dynasty members include:
Boris Kozlov (doublebass, musical direction), Donald Edwards (drums), Orrin Evans (piano), Craig Handy (alto sax), Wayne Escoffery (tenor sax, flute), Alex Sipiagin (trumpet) & Ku-Umba Frank (trombone, vocals)
Full Poem:
Consider me,
A colored boy,
Once sixteen,
Once five, once three,
Once nobody,
Now me.
Before me
Papa, mama,
Grandpa, grandma,
So on back
To original
Pa.
(A capital letter there,
He
Being Mystery.)
Consider me,
Colored boy,
Downtown at eight,
Sometimes working late,
Overtime pay
To sport away,
Or save,
Or give my Sugar
For the things
She needs.
My Sugar,
Consider her
Who works, too-
Has to.
One dont make enough
For all the stuff
It takes to live.
Forgive me
What I lack,
Black,
Caught in a crack
That splits the world in two
From China
By way of Arkansas
To Lenox Avenue.
Consider me,
On Friday the eagle flies.
Saturday laughter, a bar, a bed.
Sunday prayers syncopate glory.
Monday comes,
To work at eight,
Late,
Maybe.
Consider me,
Descended also
From the
Mystery.

[@ProgAndJazz]

stellar outfit - you must see them live to believe

[@ThickPants3]

A Langston Hughes poem entitled, "Consider Me" If you can find the Mingus recording of this, enjoy!

[@profeso07]

5 *****

[@leolovethewater]

what the hell are they doing..

[@HappyFriday]

this is good