Charles Mingus

Born April 22, 1922 in Nogales, Arizona and raised in Los Angeles’s Watts neighborhood, Charles Mingus studied bass with H. Rheinschagen of the New York Philharmonic while absorbing Duke Ellington’s broadcasts and gospel music from his mother’s church. Work with Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Lionel Hampton through the 1940s preceded the formation of the Jazz Composer’s Workshop in the early 1950s, establishing collective improvisation as his organizing principle. The Workshop concept rotated personnel through more than 1,500 total releases while maintaining Mingus’s compositional vision across small groups, mid-size ensembles, and occasional orchestral settings. “Pithecanthropus Erectus” (1956) on Atlantic established freer collective improvisation within structured frameworks, while Columbia’s “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) yielded compositions including “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”, “Better Git It In Your Soul”, and “Fables of Faubus” that entered the standard repertoire. Drummer Dannie Richmond joined in 1957, forming a rhythm section partnership that lasted until Mingus’s death. “The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady” (1963) utilized orchestration and overdubbing techniques, while “Money Jungle” (1962) with Duke Ellington and Max Roach documented three generations of bassists. Extended collaborations with Eric Dolphy from 1960 to 1964 and Booker Ervin from 1956 to 1963 established long-term Workshop members. “Let My Children Hear Music” (1972) explored orchestral jazz through large ensemble arrangements, while his autobiography “Beneath the Underdog” (1971) documented his personality and musical philosophy. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosed in the mid-1970s eventually prevented him from playing bass, though he continued composing by singing into tape recorders. Collaboration with Joni Mitchell on the album “Mingus” continued until his death from the disease in Cuernavaca, Mexico on January 5, 1979 at age 56. His compositions sustained through posthumous repertory bands including Mingus Big Band and Mingus Dynasty, while “Epitaph”, a 4000-measure composition premiered in 1989, demonstrated the scope of his ambitions.