Charles Mingus (22nd April 1922 – 5th January 1979) was an American jazz ba… Read Full Bio ↴Charles Mingus (22nd April 1922 – 5th January 1979) was an American jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, and occasional pianist from Los Angeles. He was also known for his activism against racial injustice.
Mingus' legacy is notable: he is ranked among the finest composers and performers in jazz, and recorded many highly regarded albums. Dozens of musicians passed through his bands and later went on to impressive careers. His songs - though melodic and distinctive - are not often recorded by later musicians, due in part to their unconventional nature. Mingus was also influential and creative as a bandleader, recruiting talented and sometimes little-known artists whom he assembled into unconventional and revealing configurations.
Nearly as well known as his ambitious music was Mingus' often fearsome temperament, which earned him the nickname "The Angry Man of Jazz". His refusal to compromise his musical integrity led to many onstage explosions, though it has been argued that his temper also grew from a need to vent frustration. Ironically, a perfect show could irritate him by closing this outlet.
Mingus was prone to depression. He tended to have brief periods of extreme creative activity, intermixed with fairly long periods of greatly decreased output.
Most of Mingus's music retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third Stream Jazz and free jazz. Yet Mingus avoided categorization, forging his own brand of music that fused tradition with unique and unexplored realms of jazz. Mingus focused on collective improvisation, similar to the old New Orleans Jazz parades, paying particular attention to how each band member interacted with the group as a whole. In creating his bands, Mingus looked not only at the skills of the available musicians, but also their personalities. He strived to create unique music to be played by unique musicians.
Due to his brilliant writing for mid-size ensembles - and his catering to and emphasising the strengths of the musicians in his groups - Mingus is often considered the heir apparent to Duke Ellington, for whom he expressed unqualified admiration.
By the mid-1970s, Mingus was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mingus died, aged 56, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he had traveled for treatment and convalescence. His ashes were scattered in the Ganges River.
Mingus' legacy is notable: he is ranked among the finest composers and performers in jazz, and recorded many highly regarded albums. Dozens of musicians passed through his bands and later went on to impressive careers. His songs - though melodic and distinctive - are not often recorded by later musicians, due in part to their unconventional nature. Mingus was also influential and creative as a bandleader, recruiting talented and sometimes little-known artists whom he assembled into unconventional and revealing configurations.
Nearly as well known as his ambitious music was Mingus' often fearsome temperament, which earned him the nickname "The Angry Man of Jazz". His refusal to compromise his musical integrity led to many onstage explosions, though it has been argued that his temper also grew from a need to vent frustration. Ironically, a perfect show could irritate him by closing this outlet.
Mingus was prone to depression. He tended to have brief periods of extreme creative activity, intermixed with fairly long periods of greatly decreased output.
Most of Mingus's music retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third Stream Jazz and free jazz. Yet Mingus avoided categorization, forging his own brand of music that fused tradition with unique and unexplored realms of jazz. Mingus focused on collective improvisation, similar to the old New Orleans Jazz parades, paying particular attention to how each band member interacted with the group as a whole. In creating his bands, Mingus looked not only at the skills of the available musicians, but also their personalities. He strived to create unique music to be played by unique musicians.
Due to his brilliant writing for mid-size ensembles - and his catering to and emphasising the strengths of the musicians in his groups - Mingus is often considered the heir apparent to Duke Ellington, for whom he expressed unqualified admiration.
By the mid-1970s, Mingus was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Mingus died, aged 56, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he had traveled for treatment and convalescence. His ashes were scattered in the Ganges River.
Fable of Faubus
Charles Mingus Lyrics
Instrumental
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@40hole5
My father, Jimmy Knepper, is the trombonist on this album. He also wrote lyrics to this tune, many years later.
@mehranbuledi5876
The jazz world thanks your father for his contributions !
@taf44tt8io
@@mehranbuledi5876 IDEM !
@santiagoezekiel8268
Sorry to be offtopic but does any of you know of a way to get back into an Instagram account..?
I somehow lost the login password. I would love any tricks you can offer me!
@gregorysamson2888
@Santiago Ezekiel Instablaster ;)
@jazztbone2000
Your Dad was one of the greatest jazz trombonists ever! His playing has been a great inspiration for me.
@algo3766
Cette "fable" m'a souvent accompagnée dans mes moments de solitude, j'y trouvais tellement de réconfort qu'elle est devenue "my favorite things" comme l'aurait dit un autre très grand musicien.
This “fable” often accompanied me in my moments of solitude, I found so much comfort in it that it became “my favorite things” as another great musician would have said.
@oramirez1987
A little jazz history...Mingus originally penned lyrics to "Fables of Faubus," lambasting the Arkansas governor Orval Faubus, whose actions as governor contributed to violence that surrounded the integration of Little Rock's Central High School in 1957 (Little Rock 9). He called him, among other things a "Nazi Fascist supremist." Columbia Records permitted only the instrumentals to be released on "Mingus Ah Um" in 1959. A year later, her recorded the song with a different label, with the lyrics, titled "Original Faubus Fables" on "Charles Mingus Presents Chalres Mingus"
@emmasullivan2274
Our jazz band is playing this piece this year. One of my favorites.
@user-xc2vs5om1z
the same, but it was yesterday