‘Tijuana Gift Shop’, by Charles Mingus
‘New Tijuana Moods’ (originally released in 1962 as ‘Tijuana Moods’, and reissued in 1996 on CD with four alternate takes) is one of Charles Mingus’ most raucous and exciting sessions, an aural souvenir of his Mexican vacation with drummer Dannie Richmond. As Mingus recounts in the liner notes, his marriage had just broken up, and he was looking to drown his sorrows in as much debauchery as he could endure. That background definitely comes through in the music, which combines south-of-the-border rhythms and folk melodies with Mingus’ meaty, adventurous modernist jazz.
Recorded on August 6th, 1957 (and inexplicably shelved until 1962), at RCA Victor’s Studio A, New York City.
Charles Mingus - Bass
Shafi Hadi (Curtis Porter) - Tenor Saxophone
Clarence (Gene) Shaw - Trumpet
Jimmy Knepper - Trombone
Bill Triglia - Piano
Dannie Richmond - Drums
