Category: Charles Mingus

An overlooked experiment from a remarkably ambitious late fifties period of bassist Charles Mingus, 1958’s A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry doesn’t actually include poetry in the traditional sense. Episodically exploring the Harlem-based narrator’s relationship with jazz, the elongated “Scenes in the City” features spoken word vignettes by actor Melvin Stewart and was partially penned by Langston Hughes. In addition to the piece’s music cues of Mingus and his band, the rest of the material drops the verbal experiments in favor of equality enticing tracks that went on to inform the seminal Mingus Ah Um.

In summer 1977 the Charles Mingus Quintet rolled into South America on tour. It was the second time he’d been there and these shows would be among his last. As such Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts would be essential listening for anyone interested in his music. But thankfully it’s more than just that.

Candid may not have the same name brand recognition as Blue Note or Impulse! But during its brief existence, the label made its mark on the jazz and blues worlds—as a recent series of remastered reissues demonstrates. The cream of the crop is Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus, recorded in October 1960 and released the following year. It’s a thoroughly crackling affair, highlighting the composer at one of his many peaks and featuring an awesome lineup of musicians

In 1973, Charles Mingus’ career was on the upswing. After a few years out of music, some band squabbles , and even getting evicted while being filmed by a documentary crew, he was finally getting something approximating his due. There […]

These days, when Charles Mingus is remembered, it’s primarily for records like Mingus Ah Um, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus or The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. All great records, but Mingus kept recording and […]

Meditate on this: Charles Mingus and company, European tour 1964, captured in Belgium, Norway & Sweden. Free up a couple of hours and wade into these waters. I assure you they are deep. Related: Charles Mingus :: I’ll Remember April — Antibes Jazz Festival

When giants walked the earth! Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, Ted Curson, Dannie Richmond, and Bud Powell all on one stage together, spitting fire, speaking in tongues. Charles Mingus died today in 1979 at age […]

The album opens with Charles Mingus sputtering a percussive motif with one hand while the other riffs out an arabesque fantasia. There’s a duality present here, a tension of opposites. A fixed pitch struggles with […]