April 22nd marks the birthday of legendary bassist and composer Charles Mingus. Mingus had a larger-than-life personality. He was volatile and, as Nat Hentoff described him, protean. His music combined strains of blues and gospel, Ellington-inspired harmonies, and distinctive, tricky melodies, underpinned by Mingus’ aggressive virtuosic bass playing. Often, his music was imbued with an exciting tension and a sense that the whole thing could veer out of control.
Mingus was always outspoken politically and his music reflected his views, especially over civil rights. A good example is a selection from the 1959 album Mingus Ah Um called “Fables of Faubus.” It was named after the notorious Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus, who precipitated a national crisis when he tried to prevent the integration of Little Rock public schools. You can read Mingus’ lyrics here. Listen to an instrumental version of the tune here.
One of my favorite Mingus albums and one of the first things I heard by him is the 1957 LP Tijuana Moods. The band includes saxophonist Shafi Hadi, trombonist Jimmy Knepper, and a trumpeter who I haven’t encountered elsewhere named Clarence Shaw. The inspiration for the music came from a trip that Mingus took to Tijuana, Mexico when his marriage was not doing well. I have always loved the story behind the tune “Los Mariachis,” or “The Street Musicians,” which Mingus said was inspired by the roving musicians in Tijuana trying to guess what sounds the visiting Americans would want to be serenaded to. There’s a piece that features the castanets and vocals of flamenco artist Ysabel Morel called “Ysabel’s Table Dance.” It blends jazz and flamenco in a way entirely different from Gil Evans and Miles Davis’ recording Flamenco Sketches. You can listen to Mingus’ Tijuana Moods here.
Back in 2003, I had the opportunity to speak with Mingus’ widow Sue Graham Mingus. She had just published a memoir called Tonight at Noon that told the fascinating story of their courtship, their tumultuous relationship, and Mingus’ harrowing battle with ALS, a degenerative disease that ultimately killed him in 1979. Sue Mingus was a woman with strong opinions, a keen intelligence, and a great sense of humor. She was a staunch advocate for Mingus’ art. I have to say it’s one of the best books about jazz that I have ever read, and I wouldn’t hesitate to call the interview among the best I ever recorded. You can listen to it here, and you can find the book here.
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