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Charles Mingus

Mingus contained multitudes, but his native language was protest

John Foster, Charles Mingus, Roy Brooks, Charles McPherson performs live. Aout 1972. Photo : Christian Rose/Fastimage Christian Rose/Fastimage/Christian Rose/Fastimage hide caption

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Christian Rose/Fastimage/Christian Rose/Fastimage

Editors' Picks

Mingus contained multitudes, but his native language was protest

The jazz icon's 100th birthday is a chance to appreciate an enduring throughline of his career, which often teetered between exquisite composure and raging chaos.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 22

Pusha T's It's Almost Dry tops our shortlist of the best new albums out this week. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 22

The best albums out this week include It's Almost Dry from Pusha T, space rock from Spiritualized, a gorgeous ambient record from OHYUNG, a rediscovered Charles Mingus live recording and more.

New Music Friday: The best releases out on April 22

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How the late jazz great Charles Mingus is being remembered 100 years later

Charles Mingus is often regarded as one of the greatest jazz composers of the 20th century. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive hide caption

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Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

Music News

How the late jazz great Charles Mingus is being remembered 100 years later

Regarded as one of the most important figures in jazz, tributes are planned across the world to honor the legacy of bassist, bandleader and pioneer Charles Mingus.

How the late jazz great Charles Mingus is being remembered 100 years later

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How To Like Jazz, For The Uninitiated

Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie performs at the Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival on Jan. 15, 1966. Bob Daugherty/AP hide caption

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Bob Daugherty/AP

Music

How To Like Jazz, For The Uninitiated

Want to start the new year with some new music? Weekend Edition has you covered with a new genre every week this month.

How To Like Jazz, For The Uninitiated

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Edward Norton Shares His Vision For The Music Of 'Motherless Brooklyn'

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Vava Ribeiro/Courtesy of the artist

World Cafe

Edward Norton Shares His Vision For The Music Of 'Motherless Brooklyn'

XPN

Songs from Wynton Marsalis, Radiohead's Thom Yorke and a pulpy score from Daniel Pemberton all help set a noir scene for the film's 1950s New York setting.

Edward Norton On World Cafe

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'Mingus: Jazz In Detroit' Catches A Giant At A Moment Full Of Possibility

Charles Mingus poses next to a poster for his six nights of performances at the Strata Concert Gallery in Detroit in 1973. A recording of one of those nights has just been released. Sue Mingus/Courtesy of BBE Music hide caption

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Sue Mingus/Courtesy of BBE Music

Review

Music

'Mingus: Jazz In Detroit' Catches A Giant At A Moment Full Of Possibility

A newly released recording of a 1973 concert opens a window into the volatile bassist's career at a moment of transition, but also a compelling and largely unknown chapter in Detroit jazz history.

Muldrow Meets Mingus

Jason Moran (left) and Georgia Anne Muldrow celebrate Charles Mingus during a program at the Kennedy Center. Jati Lindsay/Courtesy of the Kennedy Center hide caption

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Jati Lindsay/Courtesy of the Kennedy Center

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

Muldrow Meets Mingus

WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

Vocalist and producer Georgia Anne Muldrow's interpretive tribute to Charles Mingus aligns with the Afrocentric current that flows through underground hip-hop, avant-R&B and psychedelic soul.

Muldrow Meets Mingus

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Charles Mingus: 'Fables of Bass,' Part 2

Charles Mingus, Paris 1964. Guy Le Querrec/Courtesy of Charles Mingus Archives hide caption

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Guy Le Querrec/Courtesy of Charles Mingus Archives

NPR's 'Jazz Profiles'

Charles Mingus: 'Fables of Bass,' Part 2

By 1956, Mingus was known as an exceptional bass player and a budding composer. The ferocious burst of creative energy yet to come established him as one of the greatest minds in jazz history.

Charles Mingus: 'Fables of Bass,' Part 2

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Charles Mingus: 'Fables of Bass,' Part 1

Charles Mingus venerated Duke Ellington — despite being the only musician ever officially fired from Ellington's band. Courtesy of Charles Mingus Archives hide caption

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Courtesy of Charles Mingus Archives

NPR's 'Jazz Profiles'

Charles Mingus: 'Fables of Bass,' Part 1

A prolific writer of extraordinarily innovative, highly personal music, as well as an influential leader, the powerful bassist brought a fiery virtuosity to hundreds of original compositions.

Charles Mingus: 'Fables of Bass,' Part 1

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Cumbia: The Musical Backbone Of Latin America

Los Gaiteros De San Jacinto courtesy of the artist hide caption

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courtesy of the artist

Alt.Latino

Cumbia: The Musical Backbone Of Latin America

Alt.Latino journeys from the tip of South America to the bodegas of New York City — all the while dancing to the beat of cumbia, the lingua franca of Latin music.

Cumbia: The Musical Backbone Of Latin America

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In Memoriam: Jazz Elegies

Wynton Marsalis leads a group of musicians through upper Manhattan's Riverside Church for the New Orleans-style funeral of vibraphonist Lionel Hampton in 2002. Doug Kanter/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Doug Kanter/AFP/Getty Images

A Blog Supreme

In Memoriam: Jazz Elegies

WFIU

Around 1945, jazz's traditional funeral rites manifested in a more modern form of tribute. Now, some of the music's most powerful tunes are written in memory of late colleagues. Hear five examples.

The First Five: One Man's Introduction To Jazz

A collage of records. Christopher Toothman/NPR hide caption

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Christopher Toothman/NPR

Take Five: A Jazz Sampler

The First Five: One Man's Introduction To Jazz

At the record store, Tom Cole spent most of his time warding off scornful looks as he toted Mothers of Invention LPs around. One day, he decided he needed to learn about jazz. A clerk at Discount Records and Books in Washington, D.C., suggested these five records. No standards; just his absolute favorites.

Hear Tom Cole's Interview With Michel Martin

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The Mingus Orchestra On JazzSet

Gunther Schuller conducts the Mingus Orchestra at St. Bartholomew's Church. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater

The Mingus Orchestra On JazzSet

WBGO

Get ready for ecstatic sounds, as the French horn, bass clarinet, bassoon, guitar and harp dig the deep, dark, blues-drenched, jubilant Mingus groove from St. Bart's Church in New York City.

The Mingus Orchestra On JazzSet

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A Charles Mingus Anecdote That Has Nothing To Do With Breasts

Bassist Charles Mingus leads a band at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival, including Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet) and Charles McPherson (alto sax, obscured). Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES hide caption

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Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES

A Blog Supreme

A Charles Mingus Anecdote That Has Nothing To Do With Breasts

In 1961, the great bassist and composer started a long residency at a club in Queens, N.Y., called Copa City. It was a period of bold artistic statements from Mingus. Now, a new box set of live recordings immortalizes that moment in time, and why it can be called a "titty."

Announcement

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Five Jazz Songs Of The Freedom Struggle

Gary Bartz performs at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival. The saxophonist is often cited as a messenger of black empowerment in music. David Redfern/Redferns hide caption

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David Redfern/Redferns

A Blog Supreme

Five Jazz Songs Of The Freedom Struggle

For the annual celebration of Juneteenth, today's jazz luminaries — musicians such as Jason Moran, Christian McBride, Orrin Evans, Jeremy Pelt and Bobby Watson — reflect on recordings about the ongoing process of African-American emancipation.

Review

Basic Jazz Record Library

Hazel Scott: 'Relaxed Piano Moods'

Pianist Hazel Scott was one of the few artists who successfully integrated jazz and classical music. For 1955's Relaxed Piano Sounds, Scott teamed with the two men who owned Debut Records — drummer Max Roach and bassist Charles Mingus — for one of the best piano trios ever recorded.

Hazel Scott: 'Relaxed Piano Moods'

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Review

Basic Jazz Record Library

Red Norvo: 'The Savoy Sessions'

Known as "Mr. Swing," Red Norvo became a jazz star while playing an unconventional instrument –- the jazz xylophone. He later switched to vibraphone, and recorded with such legends as Benny Goodman and Dizzy Gillespie. On The Savoy Sessions, Norvo teams with bassist Charles Mingus and guitarist Tal Farlow.

Red Norvo: 'The Savoy Sessions'

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Review

Basic Jazz Record Library

Charles Mingus: 'Pithecanthropus Erectus'

Criticized for his violent temper on and off stage, Charles Mingus nonetheless became one of the greatest bassists in jazz history. Pithecanthropus Erectus was one of the precursors of the 1960s free jazz movement, as its title track is one of the first examples of musicians freely interpreting systems of notes.

Charles Mingus: 'Pithecanthropus Erectus'

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Gospel Meets Jazz, With Unpredictable Results

Don Byron released Love, Peace, and Soul with his New Gospel Quintet on Feb. 21. Till Krautkraemer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Till Krautkraemer/Courtesy of the artist

Review

Music Reviews

Gospel Meets Jazz, With Unpredictable Results

Two recent albums, from Don Byron's New Gospel Quintet and Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, offer contrasting perspectives on the intersection of two quintessentially American music styles.

Gospel Meets Jazz, With Unpredictable Results

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