Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland is a live album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released on the United Artists label in September of that year. The original release was titled Jazz Portraits, and a subsequent edition was titled Wonderland, leading to the combined title of Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland.
Contents
Composition
Both "Alice's Wonderland" and "Nostalgia in Times Square" were originally written for the 1959 John Cassavetes film Shadows as part of a complete soundtrack. However, Mingus’ music was largely replaced in the final version of the film. A partial reconstruction of the soundtrack was released in 2015 as the compilation album Shadows.
A reworked version of "Nostalgia in Times Square," featuring vocals by Honi Gordon, was recorded during Mingus' 1959 Mingus Dynasty sessions and included as a bonus track on reissues of that album, titled "Strollin'".
Although "Nostalgia in Times Square" was never a major part of Mingus’ repertoire, it has since become a jazz standard, widely performed and recorded by other musicians. Notably, the jazz fusion trio Medeski Martin & Wood frequently perform the song, often as part of a medley with Sun Ra’s “Angel Race.”
Reception
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow called the music "advanced bop that looks toward the upcoming innovations of the avant-garde and is frequently quite exciting".
Track listing
All compositions by Charles Mingus except as indicated
"Nostalgia in Times Square" – 12:18
"I Can't Get Started" (Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin) – 10:08
"No Private Income Blues" – 12:51
"Alice's Wonderland" – 8:54
Recorded at the Nonagon Art Gallery in New York City on January 16, 1959
Personnel
Charles Mingus – bass
John Handy – alto saxophone
Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3 & 4)
Richard Wyands – piano
Dannie Richmond – drums