Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Charles Mingus

"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a jazz standard composed by Charles Mingus originally recorded by his sextet in 1959 as listed below, and released on his album Mingus Ah Um. Mingus wrote it as an elegy for saxophonist Lester Young, who had died two months prior to the recording session, and was known to wear a broad-rimmed pork pie hat. It is one of Mingus's best-known compositions and has been recorded by many jazz and jazz fusion artists.( It may also be known as "Theme for Lester Young") In this Video I have included images of all three of the Saxophonists who worked on Migus Ah Um John Handy (Soloist on Godbye Porkpie Hat) Booker Ervin and Shafi Handi. The Image at the end is by Herman Leonard The melody is haunting and beautiful, and played in unison or octaves by tenor saxophonists John Handy and Booker Ervin except for one note, on which they play the dissonant interval of either a minor second or minor ninth. The single dissonance resembles a wince, and it's perhaps a subtle nod to Young's pained life. John Handy -- tenor saxophone Booker Ervin -- tenor saxophone Shafi Hadi -- tenor saxophone Horace Parlan -- piano Charles Mingus -- bass Dannie Richmond -- drums