Moanin" - Mingus reloaded! The debut CD of saxophone quartet spittin' horns is a carefully conceived showcase of the musicof American bassist, composer and jazz icon Charles Mingus. As a quartet, with band leader Barbara Wehrli Wutzl and herkindred spirits Christoph Grab, Reto Suhner and Thomi Geiger, they present a well-chosen selection of 11 classics of Mingus'srepertoire, skillfully re-worked and arranged for the ensemble. The approach to the compositions remains true to thecontroversial and many-sided nature of their creator, while projecting both the enthusiasm for his art and the love ofimprovisation shared by the members of the ensemble. All arrangements are finely crafted and full of surprises: insanely faststaccato passages and lyrical melodies alternate with wonderful contributions of each of the accomplished soloists, then mergeinto the compact unit that this quartet has developed into. Dark brooding melodies flow into gentle whispers. Hard drivinggrooves rooted in the reality that was Mingus's, fuse with the quiet and peace of other remote corners of the jazz universe. Thisis accomplished with a mischievous smile and a tip of the hat to a true icon of 20th century music. Saxophone sound simply atits best!