Three or Four Shades of Blues

Three or Four Shades of Blues
Studio album by Charles Mingus
Released	1977
Recorded	March 9, 10 & 29, 1977 in NYC
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:13
Label	Atlantic
Producer	Ilhan Mimaroglu
Charles Mingus chronology
Changes Two (1975) Three or Four Shades of Blues (1977) Cumbia & Jazz Fusion (1978)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

Three or Four Shades of Blues is an album by Charles Mingus recorded for the Atlantic label in 1977. It features two new versions of Mingus' "standards" and three new compositions performed by large ensembles featuring Jack Walrath, Ricky Ford, George Coleman, Sonny Fortune, Jimmy Rowles, Philip Catherine, Larry Coryell, John Scofield, Ron Carter, George Mraz and Dannie Richmond. The Allmusic review by Stuart Kremsky states that the album is "Not his best work, but not without merit".^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Charles Mingus

No.	Title	recording date	Length
1.	"Better Get Hit in Yo' Soul"	March 9, 1977	4:35
2.	"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat"	March 9, 1977	7:00
3.	"Noddin Ya Head Blues"	March 9, 1977	10:29
4.	"Three or Four Shades of Blues"	March 29, 1977	12:03
5.	"Nobody Knows"	March 11, 1977	10:06

Personnel

• Charles Mingus: double bass, vocals, arranger
• Jack Walrath: trumpet
• Ricky Ford: tenor saxophone
• George Coleman: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone (tracks 1–4)
• Sonny Fortune: alto saxophone (track 5)
• Bob Neloms: piano
• Jimmy Rowles: piano (track 4)
• Philip Catherine: guitar (tracks 1–3 & 5)
• Larry Coryell: guitar (tracks 1–4)
• John Scofield: guitar (tracks 4 & 5)
• Ron Carter: bass (track 5)
• George Mraz: bass (tracks 1–3)
• Dannie Richmond: drums
• Paul Jeffrey: arranger

References

1. Allmusic Review
2. Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 141. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
3. Kremsky, S. Allmusic Review accessed April 15, 2009.