Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (song)

"Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (later renamed "Theme for Lester Young") 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' best-known compositions and has been recorded by many jazz and jazz fusion artists. Joni Mitchell added lyrics to the song for her album Mingus, recorded in collaboration with Mingus during the months before his death. Rahsaan Roland Kirk also composed lyrics to the song, included on his album The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man.

Personnel

 * John Handy – tenor saxophone
 * Booker Ervin – tenor saxophone
 * Shafi Hadi – tenor saxophone
 * Horace Parlan – piano
 * Charles Mingus – bass
 * Dannie Richmond – drums

By Mingus

 * Mingus Ah Um (1959)
 * Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963) (as "Theme for Lester Young")
 * Three or Four Shades of Blues (1977)

By Mingus Bands

 * Mingus Dynasty – Chair in the sky (1979)
 * Mingus Big Band – Blues and Politics (1999)

By others

 * Bert Jansch and John Renbourn – Bert and John (1966)
 * Pentangle – Sweet Child (1968)
 * John McLaughlin – My Goal's Beyond (1970)
 * Anthony Braxton – In the Tradition, Vol. 1 (1974)
 * Ralph Towner and Gary Burton – Matchbook (1974)
 * Rahsaan Roland Kirk – The Return of the 5000 Lb. Man (1976)
 * Jeff Beck – Wired (1976)
 * Horace Parlan – Blue Parlan (1978)
 * Joni Mitchell – Mingus (1979) and Shadows and Light (1980) (including lyrics by Mitchell)
 * Gil Evans and the Monday Night Orchestra – Live at Sweet Basil (1984)
 * Laurel Massé – Alone Together (1984)
 * Gil Evans/Laurent Cugny/Big Band Lumière – Golden Hair (1987)
 * Steve Lacy and Gil Evans – Paris Blues (1987)
 * Stanley Clarke – If This Bass Could Only Talk (1988)
 * Uzeb – "Noisy Nights" (1988)
 * The Manhattan Project – The Manhattan Project (1990)
 * Bill Mays and Ray Drummond – One To One 2 (1990)
 * Carla Bley – Big Band Theory (1993)
 * Charles McPherson – First Flight Out (1994)
 * Andy Summers – The Last Dance of Mr. X (1997), Peggy's Blue Skylight (2000)
 * Jay Beckenstein – Eye Contact (2000)
 * Larry Coryell – Coryells (2000)
 * Kevin Mahogany – Pussy Cat Dues (2000) (as part of "Mingus Medley")
 * Marcus Miller – M² (2001)
 * Derek Sherinian – Inertia (2001)
 * Tony McManus – Ceol More (2002)
 * Paul Motian – Garden of Eden (2006)