Fables of Faubus (1959)

Charles Mingus -- Bass
Horace Parlan -- Piano
John Handy -- Alto Sax
Booker Ervin -- Tenor Sax
Shafi Hadi --Tenor Sax
Jimmy Knepper -- Trombone
Danie Richmond -- Drums

Mingus was an inveterate talker.  He had a multitude of reasons for composing every work and he never hesitated to tell them to anyone within earshot, although his long explanations often seemed to go in circles.  His most effective statements consisted of short quips or song titles such as "All the Things You Could Be by Now if Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother."  His "Original Faubus Fables" was a satirical work with biting lyrics about the segregationist governor of Arkansas.  This unique musical approach to social and political problems understandably found little support in the marketplace.