Charles Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is a 1963 jazz composition and album by bassist and composer Charles Mingus. The piece consists of a single six-part suite performed by an eleven-piece band. An intensely emotional work, it displays Mingus's skills as musician, composer and band leader.

Written as a ballet, the work borrows from Ellingtonian and Latin sources, but creates a unique orchestral style that Mingus called "ethnic folk-dance music".

The orchestrations (described as "one of the greatest achievements [...] by any composer in jazz history" by Allmusic) are rich and multi-layered. Mingus's perfectionism led to extensive use of studio overdubbing techniques.

Track A features the tuba virtuoso Don Butterfield playing a contrabass trombone.

The album features liner notes written by Mingus and his psychotherapist, Dr. Edmund Pollock.

Side one

1. "Track A — Solo Dancer" –6:20
Stop! Look! and Listen, Sinner Jim Whitney!
2. "Track B — Duet Solo Dancers" –6:25
Hearts' Beat and Shades in Physical Embraces
3. "Track C — Group Dancers" –7:00
(Soul Fusion) Freewoman and Oh, This Freedom's Slave Cries

Side two

1. "Mode D — Trio and Group Dancers"
Stop! Look! and Sing Songs of Revolutions!

"Mode E — Single Solos and Group Dance"
Saint and Sinner Join in Merriment on Battle Front
"Mode F — Group and Solo Dance"
Of Love, Pain, and Passioned Revolt, then Farewell, My Beloved, 'til It's Freedom Day –17:52