Charles Mingus in the 1950s Essay -- Biography Bio Jazz

Charles Mingus in the 1950sCharles Mingus is one of the most original and influential jazz composers of the twentieth century. He created the second-largest people of jazz work after Duke Ellington (McDonough 20), and is the first African-American composer to have his work acquired by the Library of Congress (Harrington B1). Mingus is known for his unusual style of composing and playing, which seek to reconcile jazz improvisation with orchestration, in order for the final composition to conform most closely to his vision. Also, Mingus liberated the bass from its mundane quality of memory time, turning it into a fully versatile instrument as capable of stating the theme as the horns. While forging a new role for his instrument, he also forged a new style of jazz, one that acknowledged the influence of bebop but did not cater solely to that genre. Instead, Mingus music incorporated a wide range of styles, from Ellingtons big band sound, to gospel music, to early New Orleans jazz ba nds. At the same time, he imbued modern sentiments and an vanguard feeling into his music. In the 1950s, his music made several important aesthetic and technical advances, punctuated by the release of numerous influential albums. These productive years were life-or-death in shaping Mingus sound, as he fully incorporated gospel elements into his music and developed a means of composing and working with his musicians that allowed for endless innovation.In the 1940s, Mingus had made great strides in developing his style of composing and playing, creating works such as Mingus Fingers, which was performed by the Lionel Hampton orchestra and recorded. In this composition, the bass has a prominent role in developing the theme, an unusual departure from... ... Pithecanthropus Erectus. Liner notes. Atlantic Recording Corporation 1956.Mingus, Charles. Beneath the Underdog . New York Alfred A Knopf, 1971.Moon, Tom. The Black Saints Epitaph. Musician Jun. 1989 60-121.Perry, David. bop Great s . London Phaidon Press Limited, 1996.Priestley, Brian. Mingus A Critical Biography . New York Da Capo Press, 1982.Simon, Marcel-Franck. Annotated Mingus discography. http//www.siba.fi/mingus/mfsimon.htmlWest, Hollie I. Charles Mingus. The Washington Post 14 Jan. 1979 P1.West, Hollie I. Jazz Bassist, Composer Charles Mingus, 56, Dies. The Washington Post 9 Jan. 1979 C4.West, Hollie I. grieve Mingus His Widow Stokes the Fires of His Legend. The Washington Post 9 Oct. 1979 C3.Zenni, Stefano. The music of Charles Mingus in California. http//www.siba.fi/mingus/zenni/survey.html.