The Normand Guilbeault Ensemble's tribute to the jazz great is a pleasure.

There's a telling tale in one of the jazz histories of the 1950s,
recounting how bassist / genius / larger-than-life legend Charles Mingus took his band to Montréal and, pleading poverty, insisted the players subsist on Cheez Whiz to keep the cost down.

Even after band members discovered Mingus was feeding his ample self prime steaks in the most cosmopolitan city in Canada, they forgave him and continued to perform the hard, beautiful music which inspired this CD. Apparently, the Mingus visit inspired future quebec jazz musicians, too.

For this Hommage à Mingus, the work of those who clearly know and love the music, surely re-creates the feel of the master's bands from about 1955 to 1963. That was a great era for Mingus, which he occasionally matched in the years leading up to his death in 1979. Bassist and leader Normand Guilbeault stands in nicely for the man himself without hogging centre stage and his tribute benefitgs from a powerful surrounding cast.

The standout is Mathieu Bélanger on clarinet and bass clarinet. His work on What Love departs from Eric Dolphy's playing on the original without losing the spirit in a way that makes revisiting the original without 1960 a pleasure, not a duty.

Guilbeault and company are at there best when they're at there most ambitious, taking Mingus's big bandish The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady down to a driving arrangement for sextet. Again, it's a treat to compare their work to the original and their devotion to the Mingus cause is rewarded.

The only corner of the Mingus universe the group doesn't get to visit much on this fine CD is his combination of charming devilment and wild bursts of cynical humor. That aspect of his art showed up most frequently in his announcements, titles and interjections.

Well, the ensemble has a chance to adress that next week in London, when it performs on march 14 at Aeolian Hall as part of the New School series. It seems safe to say the spirit of Mingus will be right there with Guilbeault and friends.

JAMES REANEY

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