UNCONVENTION22: Arnie Somogyi: Musician

"It’s Mingus – which is kind of fairly predictable I suppose but that turned me on to jazz really, that album. I remember buying it – I bought a double bass before I bought that record and I was wondering sort of what to do with the double bass, because I played electric bass in rock bands prior to that.  

This was at the age of 19, so I like the look of it and I liked the sound of it but I didn’t really know what to do with it! In those day’s it was vinyl - I’d heard of Charles Mingus obviously so I went and bought ‘Ah Um’ which was at the front of the rack. 

So I bought that and it sort of changed my life really. Listened to that – turned me on to jazz and here I am today – so that’s it yeah – that’s what happened. 

Lovely balance of compositional skills – beauty, creativity and kind of raw spirit and freedom – which is quite rare in any sort of music I think. Not just jazz but anywhere really. Finding that sort of attitude and freedom…. I think it’s freedom; freedom is the thing with that record. It sound free and so beautiful - really so that’s it." 

Arnie Somogyi: Llandudno Jazz Festival, 25th July 2015 

Charles Mingus: Ah Um released 1959 

Arnie Somogyi