Charles Mingus
1922 - 1979
Snapshot
English
Virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader and composer regarded as one of the most important figures in twentieth century American music * Considered the heir apparent to Duke Ellington * Studied double bass with H. Rheinshagen, former principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic, and compositional techniques with the legendary Lloyd Reese * Performed with Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and many other fellow jazz giants * Recorded over a hundred albums and wrote over three hundred scores * Composed his first concert piece, "Half-Mast Inhibition," when he was seventeen years old but it was not recorded until twenty years later by a 22-piece orchestra with Gunther Schuller conducting * Alvin Ailey choreographed an hour program called "The Mingus Dances" during a collaboration with the Robert Joffrey Ballet Company * Repertory bands Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Orchestra and the Mingus Big Band continue to perform his music * The Library of Congress acquired the entire Charles Mingus Collection of original manuscripts, scores, recordings, photographs, correspondence and memorabilia * The United States Postal Service created a commemorative stamp to honor Mingus’s contributions to American culture and history
Boosey & Hawkes proudly makes available for the first time Pithecanthropus Erectus, a modern masterwork by Charles Mingus for performance.
Other works by Charles Mingus include (and are currently available for synchronization and choreography):
Boogie Stop Shuffle
Fables of Faubus
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Haitian Fight Song
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Self-Portrait in Three Colors
Ysabel’s Dance Song
Looking Ahead:
Additionally, Mingus bands will be performing thorughout Europe and the United States Spring-Summer '09, including dates at New York's Jazz Standard, Detroit's Orchestra hall, London's Ronnie Scott's and Italy's Umbria Jazz Festival.
"For sheer melodic and rhythmic and structural originality, his compositions may equal anything written in western music in the twentieth century." The New Yorker
Charles Mingus' Official Website - www.mingusmingusmingus.com
