Bassist Charles Mingus first studio album on Columbia, from 1959. The title is a reference to the Latin declensions that are used for learning the language: -us, -a, -um for masculine, feminine and neuter nouns respectively. It is short for Mingus, Minga, Mingum.
Stories abound behind many songs on this album. The Pork pie hat was worn by saxophonist Lester Young, the first song is about using gospel singing as a way of preaching. I would like to say a bit more about the Fables of Faubus however.
Orval E. Faubus was a Democratic Party member in the state of Arkansas. He served as governor of that state between 1955 and 1967. In 1957 he was part of the Little Rock Crisis, when he prevented the enrollment of a group of African American students. The attendance of the Little Rock Nine was instigated by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was the consequence of the 14th amendment of the US Constitution, and a ruling by the Supreme Court in 1954. The Governor however, refuse to allow them in the all-white school of their choice and asked the Arkansas National Guard to stop them.
When you ask an army to keep out a group of school children, you known matters have run out of hand. The students were allowed in the school by way of President Eisenhower, the federalization of the Arkansas National Guard and the 101 Airborne (wait, isn’t that the one unit from Band of Brothers?). I doubt they had a wonderful time at school though.
Fables of Faubus was stripped of it’s lyrics, along with it’s political meaning by an overzealous and maybe fearful record executive. The full version can be heard on Charles Mingus presents Charles Mingus, released three years later in 1960 on the less fearful Candid label.