Tijuana Moods is a strange album to me, I don't think it sounds like the typical Mingus album. At least not the way I think of Mingus.I think about Blue & Roots, and Mingus Ah Um, and The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady.
Tijuana Moods is still an exceptional piece of music. Judging by the amount of edits needed to piece it together, this album had to have been a labor of love for Mingus.
Mingus does mention on the back cover no less, that Tijuana Moods was the best album he ever made.
One wonders exactly when Charles was meaning this best album claim, as this music was made in 1957, and not released until 1962, did he mean this for 1957 or 1962?
I like Tijuana Moods, its an interesting, if some what flawed listen. I certainly don't consider it as great as Mingus Ah Um or The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, the latter in my estimation the greatest of all Mingus works. But I hold so much of his legacy so high that you begin to grasp at straws trying to pick a best Mingus record anyway.
Tijuana Moods seems like a work in progress, which honestly is something I don't mind, as Mingus' best work always seem raw and unrefined.Saxophonist Shafi Hadi (Curtis Porter) shines very brightly on the album, he plays with a pissed off fire that you might expect coming from a Mingus side man.
Hadi completely dropped out of site in the early 60's, he can be heard on another Mingus album The Clown.
This early 60's copy, I presume it is a first pressing was a great find? I purchased a huge lot of Mingus albums several years ago, the covers were all on the worn to rough side. I gambled on it, the dealer had a generic VG grade on the lot, turned out most of the vinyl was VG+ to near mint in all honesty, I was pleasantly surprised to say the least.
You can get a copy like this pictured copy in the 50 dollar price range if you shop around, this has also been reissued on high quality vinyl with bonus tracks added.
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