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

Charles Mingus in the 1950s Charles Mingus is one of the most original and influential jazz composers of the twentieth century. He created the second-largest volume 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 attempted 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 role of keeping 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 Ellington's big band sound, to gospel music, to early New Orleans jazz bands. At the same time, he imbued modern sentiments and an avant-garde 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 crucial 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 Saint's Epitaph." Musician Jun. 1989: 60-121. Perry, David. Jazz Greats . 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.html West, 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. "Mourning 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.