1962 · Album
Money Jungle
Recorded September 17, 1962 · United Artists Jazz · Produced by not specified in Wikipedia source
Three Giants in One September Session
Ellington, Mingus, and Roach in a room together—what emerged was lean, restless, and entirely alive.
On September 17, 1962, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach walked into a studio with no rehearsal and no ego checks at the door. The results became Money Jungle (1963), released the following February. This was not a celebrity summit or a gimmick—it was three master improvisers circling each other, testing limits, refusing to settle into comfort. Ellington brought six pieces, nearly all of them fresh compositions written for the occasion. The pianist was not revisiting old territory or coasting on repertoire. He came to play.
What makes this album distinct is its rawness. Mingus's bass doesn't accompany—it argues, it responds, it sometimes contradicts. Roach's drums are there to listen as much as to mark time. This is conversation, not performance. Four of the seven tracks on the original LP had never been recorded before, which means what you hear is genuinely unguarded. When the trio later re-entered the studio from the same session, eight additional tracks emerged, giving listeners far more material to follow these three musicians as they worked out their thinking.
AllMusic gave it 4.5 out of 5, recognizing something vital in the interaction. It's not Ellington's most famous work, and it's certainly not a comfortable listen. But it's one of the last great documents of him as an active improviser, hungry and uninterested in repeating himself. Start here if you want to hear what happened when three of jazz's finest decided to simply play together without a net.
Who's playing
Where next?
More by Duke Ellington
All 22 albums →
The musicians on this record
Mingus Ah Um 1959
Charles Mingus
plays double bass here
plays double bass here
We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite 1961
Max Roach
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
