Let My Children Hear Music  by Charles Mingus

Let My Children Hear Music - a 1972 release - is the orchestral manifesto that Charles Mingus himself described as the best work he ever did. In this masterpiece of "Third Stream" jazz, Mingus breaks the chains of conventional instruments, enlisting bassoons, horns, and cellos to create a sound that balances between the grandeur of classical composition and raw improvisation.

The album overflows with cinematic intensity, from the epic title The Shoes Of The Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers to the haunting The Chill Of Death, where Mingus recites poetry over a sinister musical landscape. His music here is an "emotional blood bath," filled with provocative dissonances and redemptive melodies.

Through the complexity of Sy Johnson's orchestrations, Mingus claims the recognition of jazz as the "classical music of America," urging future generations to listen beyond stereotypes. It is a soul statement that remains unsurpassed in the history of orchestral jazz.