April 22, 2019

Today, April 22, in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, World Book celebrates the birthday of Charles Mingus, one of the most important figures in jazz history. Mingus made major contributions to music as a bass player, composer, and bandleader. His outspoken, sometimes angry, behavior made him one of the most distinctive personalities in jazz. Mingus was born on April 22, 1922. He died on Jan. 5, 1979.

American jazz musician Charles Mingus. Credit: © Tom Copi, Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Mingus was born in Nogales, Arizona, and grew up in the Watts district of Los Angeles. He began playing the bass in high school and played in the rhythm sections of groups led by Barney Bigard, Louis Armstrong, and Lionel Hampton in the 1940′s.

Mingus first gained national attention as a member of a trio led by the vibraphone player Red Norvo in 1950. Mingus settled in New York City in the 1950′s, playing with such jazz masters as Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Art Tatum, and Bud Powell. In the mid-1950′s, Mingus established the Jazz Workshop, a group of musicians who played his compositions.

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JAM – Jazz Appreciation Month Credit: Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Mingus began to establish himself as a composer in the mid-1950′s. His first important album was Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956). The title composition attempted to musically portray the rise and fall of humanity. During the next several years, Mingus recorded his most significant compositions, including “Fables of Faubus,” “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” “Better Git It in Your Soul,” “Far Wells, Mill Valley,” and “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting.” The compositions were a striking blend of blues, gospel, bebop, and elements of the experimental style called free jazz.

During the 1960′s and 1970′s, Mingus led groups ranging from 4 to 11 pieces. He developed a kind of repertory company of musicians that included the saxophonists Clifford L. Jordan, Booker T. Ervin, Jr., and Eric Dolphy; the trombone player Jimmy Knepper; the trumpeter Ted Curson; the pianist Jaki Byard; and the drummer Dannie Richmond.

Throughout his career, Mingus battled psychological problems that sometimes resulted in confrontations with audiences and musicians. He attacked racism in the United States in his erratic and controversial autobiography Beneath the Underdog (1971). Mingus suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) late in his life, and the nervous system disease caused his death at age 56.