Charles Mingus - A Modern Jazz Symposium Of Music And Poetry (1957/2014) [HDtracks]

Don't expect any poetry here, however an extended spoken word narration by actor Mel Stewart does kicks off the album. That's where the vocals begin and end on this instrumental collection. Mingus and his brilliant musicians do the talking here: the Penguin Guide To Jazz calls Clarence Shaw's performance on New York Sketchbook - "the best trumpet heard on a Mingus album for some time before or since".
Despite its title, this album doesn't contain poetry, nor is it a "symposium." What it does have is a memorable narration by Lonnie Elder on "Scenes in the City" (one of the best collaborations of spoken word and jazz). There are four obscure Charles Mingus compositions for his sextet (which consists of the bassist/leader, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, Shafi Hadi on tenor and alto, either Bill Hardman or Clarence Shaw on trumpet, pianist Horace Parlan, and drummer Dannie Richmond). There are also three previously unreleased performances, including a run-through of Dizzy Gillespie's "Wouldn't You." An excellent set of challenging yet often accessible music.