Charles MingusAlyssa Chambers

Early Life and Career

Born April 22, 1922 on US Army Base in Nogales, Arizona

Raise largely in Watts area of LA

Multi-cultural family heritage Church music to Duke Ellington Studied trombone and cello

and the double bass under guidance of H. Rheinshagen and Lloyd Reese

Began composing in teens By the early 40’s was touring

with bands such as Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Lionel Hampton

Life in New York

Played and recorded with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Art Tatum and Duke Ellington

Mid-50’s formed own publishing and recording companies Founded the “Jazz Workshop” 1952 co-founded Debut Records, as well as other label's such as

Impulse!, Candid, Atlantic, Blue Note, Mercury, and Columbia On the forefront of the avant-garde Decade which followed is noted as the most productive and

fertile period for Mingus. These works included Pithecanthropus Erectus, The Clown, Tijuana Moods, Mingus Dynasty, Migus Ah Um, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Cumbia and Jazz Fusion, and Let My Children Hear Music

Recorded over 100 albums and wrote over 300 scores Known as “The Angry Man of Jazz”

Later Career and Death

Paced slowed down in the late 1960’s and early 70’s By mid-1970’s, he was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease Died at age 56 in Cuernavaca, Mexico and ashes were

scattered in the Ganges River

Legacy

His music is being performed and reinterpreted by the Mingus Big Band which started in October of 2008

Epitaph, one of Charles Mingus’ masterpieces Awards

› 1971 inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame› 1993 the Library of Congress acquired Mingus’ compilation of music. “The

most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library’s history.”

› 2005 inducted in the Jazz at Lincoln Center, Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame

Music

Flowers For a Lady Shortnin’ Bread Mingus Bass Solo

Sources

http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/Mingus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Mingus