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Charles Mingus

Charles Mingus

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Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964–65 - The sextet that Charles Mingus took on tour in 1964 belongs on the short list of all-time-great jazz groups. Read More

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Charles Mingus Biography

source: WikiPedia

This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.

Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was a highly influential American jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader. Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third Stream, free jazz, and classical music. Yet Mingus avoided categorization, forging his own brand of music that fused tradition with unique and unexplored realms of jazz. He once cited Duke Ellington and church as his main influences. 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. Many musicians passed through his bands and later went on to impressive careers. He recruited talented and sometimes little-known artists, whom he utilized to assemble unconventional instrumental configurations. As a performer, Mingus was a pioneer in double bass technique, widely recognized as one of the instrument's most proficient players. 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 on-stage eruptions, exhortations to musicians, and dismissals. Because of his brilliant writing for mid-size ensembles, and his catering to and emphasizing the strengths of the musicians in his groups, Mingus is often considered the heir of Duke Ellington, for whom he expressed great admiration. Indeed, Dizzy Gillespie had once claimed Mingus reminded him "of a young Duke", citing their shared "organizational genius". Mingus' music was once believed to be too difficult to play without Mingus' leadership. However, many musicians play Mingus compositions today, from the repertory bands Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, and Mingus Orchestra, to the high school students who play the charts and compete in the Charles Mingus High School Competition. Gunther Schuller has suggested that Mingus should be ranked among the most important American composers, jazz or otherwise. In 1988, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts made possible the cataloging of Mingus compositions, which were then donated to the Music Division of the New York Public Library for public use. In 1993, The Library of Congress acquired Mingus's collected papers—including scores, sound recordings, correspondence and photos—in what they described as "the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library's history".

Wikipedia This entry is from Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. If you find the biography content factually incorrect, defamatory or highly offensive you can edit this article at Wikipedia.
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Charles Mingus Albums

source: MusicBrainz

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The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady &… Compilation 2011 itunes amazon
Charles Mingus: Original Album Series Compilation 2011 itunes amazon
Charles Mingus and the Newport Rebels Album 2010-09-20 itunes amazon
The Complete Bremen Concert Live 2010-03-30 itunes amazon
The Savoy Recordings - Part 2 Album 2010 itunes amazon
The Savoy Recordings - Part 1 Album 2010 itunes amazon
The Salle Wagram Concert - Complete… Live 2009-10-06 itunes amazon
Kind of Mingus Compilation 2009 itunes amazon
Coleção Folha clássicos do jazz,… Live 2008-01-27 itunes amazon
The Millennium Collection Compilation 2007-10-23 itunes amazon
Cornell 1964 Live 2007-07-17 itunes amazon
Mysterious Blues Compilation 2007 itunes amazon
Music Written for Monterey 1965 Not… Live 2006-09-26 itunes amazon
The Very Best Of Compilation 2006 itunes amazon
Legendary Trios Compilation 2005 itunes amazon
MusicBrainzLinks & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Charles Mingus at musicbrainz.org.
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