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.
I X Love
Charles Mingus Lyrics
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Brought such a flame to me
And let it die
And if another love should find my heart
It will remind my heart of your goodbye
With every new love you
In others eyes, its you I see
If I love again
Though its someone new
If I love again
It'll still be you
In someone else's firm embrace
I'll close my eyes but see your face
If I love again
I'll find other charms
But I'll make believe, you are in my arms
And though my lips whisper
"I love you"
My heart will not be true
I'll be loving
Every time I love again
The song "I X Love" by Charles Mingus is a song that talks about a love that was once bright and intense but has now faded away. The singer of the song wonders why this love came to him and brought such a flame to his heart only to let it die. He reveals that if another love should find his heart, it will remind him of his previous love and the painful goodbye he had to endure.
The chorus of the song goes on to explain that with every new love that the singer experiences, he will always see the face of his previous lover in the eyes of that new person. He then goes on to reveal that even if he loves someone new, it will still be his previous lover in his heart and in his mind, and he will always make believe that she is in his arms. His lips may whisper "I love you," but his heart will not be true because he will always be loving his previous lover.
Overall, the song speaks to the pain of old loves and how they can linger on in our hearts and minds even when we try to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
I often wonder why he came to me
I question why this person brought such intense love to me
Brought such a flame to me
Brought such intense passion to me
And let it die
And left me after all the intensity we shared
And if another love should find my heart
If I were to fall in love again
It will remind my heart of your goodbye
It would remind me of the pain of you leaving
With every new love you
Every time I fall in love
Will come back to me
I will remember you
In others eyes, its you I see
I can't help but see your face in everyone else I love
If I love again
If I ever fall in love again
Though its someone new
Even if they are a new person
It'll still be you
I'll still think of you
In someone else's firm embrace
When in someone else's loving arms
I'll close my eyes but see your face
I'll be reminded of your face
If I love again
If I ever fall in love again
I'll find other charms
I'll find other interesting things about that person
But I'll make believe, you are in my arms
But I'll pretend that you're the one holding me
And though my lips whisper
Although I say
"I love you"
"I love you"
My heart will not be true
My heart won't really mean it
I'll be loving
I'll be pretending to love
Every time I love again
Every time I fall in love again
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MURRAY JACK, BEN OAKLAND, JACK MURRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind