Editing Charles Mingus (section)

==Biography==
===Early life and career===
Charles Mingus was born in [[Nogales, Arizona]]. His father, Charles Mingus Sr., was a sergeant in the [[U.S. Army]].<ref>Santoro, Gene. ''Myself When I am Real: The Life and Music of Charles Mingus'' (Oxford University Press, 1994); {{ISBN|0-19-509733-5}}</ref> Mingus Jr. was largely raised in the [[Watts, Los Angeles|Watts]] area of Los Angeles.

Mingus's ethnic background was complex. His ancestry included German American, African American, and Native American heritage.<ref name="Santoro, 2000">Santoro, 2000</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Todd |title=I Know What I Know: The Music of Charles Mingus |date=2006 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=9780313082009 |page=5}}</ref><ref name=Horton/> His maternal grandfather was a Chinese British subject from [[Hong Kong]], and his maternal grandmother was an African American from the southern United States. Mingus was the great-great-great-grandson of his family's founding patriarch who, by most accounts, was a German immigrant.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}} In Mingus's autobiography ''[[Beneath the Underdog]]'', his mother was described as "the daughter of an English/Chinese man and a South-American woman", and his father was the son "of a black farm worker and a Swedish woman". Charles Mingus Sr. claims to have been raised by his mother and her husband as a white person until he was fourteen, when his mother revealed to her family that the child's true father was a [[Slavery in the United States|black slave]], after which he had to run away from his family and live on his own. The autobiography does not confirm whether Charles Mingus Sr. or Mingus himself believed this story was true, or whether it was merely an embellished version of the Mingus family's lineage.<ref name="autogenerated1991">{{Cite book |last=Jenkins |first=Todd S. |title=I know what I know: the music of Charles Mingus |date=2006 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-0-275-98102-0 |location=Westport, Conn}}</ref> According to new information used to educate visitors to Mingus Mill in the [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]], included in signs unveiled May 23, 2023, the father of Mingus Sr. was former slave Daniel Mingus, owned by the family of his mother Clarinda Mingus, a white woman. When Clarinda married a white man, Mingus Sr. was left with his white grandfather and great-grandparents. His father, who later changed his name to West, apparently did not have a relationship with Mingus Sr.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2023/06/03/word-from-the-smokies-uncovering-the-origins-of-mingus-family-saga/70281040007/|title=Uncovering the origins of Mingus family saga|last=Searcy|first=Aaron|work=[[Asheville Citizen-Times]]|date=3 June 2023}}</ref>

His mother allowed only church-related music in their home, but Mingus developed an early love for other music, especially that of [[Duke Ellington]]. He studied [[trombone]], and later [[cello]], although he was unable to follow the cello professionally because, at the time, it was nearly impossible for a black musician to make a career of classical music, and the cello was not accepted as a jazz instrument. Despite this, Mingus was still attached to the cello; as he studied bass with [[Red Callender]] in the late 1930s, Callender even commented that the cello was still Mingus's main instrument. In ''Beneath the Underdog'', Mingus states that he did not actually start learning bass until [[Buddy Collette]] accepted him into his swing band under the stipulation that he be the band's bass player.<ref name="autogenerated1991" />

Due to a poor education, the young Mingus could not read musical notation quickly enough to join the local youth orchestra. This had a serious impact on his early musical experiences, leaving him feeling ostracized from the classical music world. These early experiences, in addition to his lifelong confrontations with racism, were reflected in his music, which often focused on themes of racism, discrimination and (in)justice.<ref name=Horton>{{cite web |last=Horton |first=Ernest Aaron |title=Charles Mingus and the Paradoxical Aspects of Race as Reflected in His Life and Music |url=http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04072007-140228/unrestricted/ERonHortonDissertation.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425062001/http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04072007-140228/unrestricted/ERonHortonDissertation.pdf |archive-date=2012-04-25 |url-status=live |publisher=Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh |date=2007 |access-date=11 October 2011}}</ref>

Much of the cello technique he learned was applicable to [[double bass]] when he took up the instrument in high school. He studied for five years with Herman Reinshagen, principal bassist of the [[New York Philharmonic]], and compositional techniques with Lloyd Reese.<ref>{{cite web |title=Charles Mingus &#124; Charles "Baron" Mingus: West Coast, 1945–49 |url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=7105 |website=Allaboutjazz.com |date=1 February 2001 |access-date=8 October 2009}}</ref> Throughout much of his career, he played a bass made in 1927 by the German maker [[Ernst Heinrich Roth]].

Mingus was already writing relatively advanced musical pieces in his teenage years; many are similar to [[Third Stream]] in that they incorporate elements of classical music. A number of pieces were recorded in 1960 with conductor [[Gunther Schuller]], and released as ''[[Pre-Bird]]'', referring to [[Charlie Parker|Charlie "Bird" Parker]]; Mingus was one of many musicians whose perspectives on music were altered by Parker into "pre- and post-Bird" eras.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

Mingus gained a reputation as a bass prodigy. His first major professional job was playing with former Ellington clarinetist [[Barney Bigard]]. He toured with [[Louis Armstrong]] in 1943, and by early 1945 was recording in Los Angeles in a band led by [[Russell Jacquet]], which also included [[Teddy Edwards]], [[Maurice James Simon]], [[Wild Bill Davis]], and [[Chico Hamilton]], and in May that year, in Hollywood, again with Edwards, in a band led by [[Howard McGhee]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Jazz Discography Project |title=Charles Mingus Catalog |url=http://www.jazzdisco.org/charles-mingus/catalog |website=Jazzdisco.org |access-date=8 October 2009}}</ref>

He then played with [[Lionel Hampton]]'s band in the late 1940s; Hampton performed and recorded several Mingus pieces. A popular trio of Mingus, [[Red Norvo]], and [[Tal Farlow]] in 1950 and 1951 received considerable acclaim, but Mingus's race caused problems with some club owners and he left the group. Mingus was briefly a member of Ellington's band in 1953, as a substitute for bassist [[Wendell Marshall]]; however, Mingus's notorious temper led to his being one of the few musicians personally fired by Ellington ([[Bubber Miley]] and drummer [[Bobby Durham (jazz musician)|Bobby Durham]] are among the others) after a backstage fight between Mingus and [[Juan Tizol]].{{sfn|Hentoff|1978|pp=34-35}}

Also in the early 1950s, before attaining commercial recognition as a bandleader, Mingus played gigs with [[Charlie Parker]], whose compositions and improvisations greatly inspired and influenced him. Mingus considered Parker the greatest genius and innovator in jazz history, but he had a love-hate relationship with Parker's legacy. Mingus blamed the Parker mythology for a derivative crop of pretenders to Parker's throne. He was also conflicted and sometimes disgusted by Parker's self-destructive habits and the romanticized lure of drug addiction they offered to other jazz musicians. In response to the many sax players who imitated Parker, Mingus titled a song "If Charlie Parker Were a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats" (released on ''[[Mingus Dynasty]]'' as "Gunslinging Bird").<ref>{{cite web |title=Mingus Explains Song Titles|url=https://www.charlesmingus.com/mingus/mingus-explains-song-titles |website=Charles Mingus |access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref>

Mingus married four times. His wives were Jeanne Gross, Lucille (Celia) Germanis, Judy Starkey, and [[Sue Mingus|Susan Graham Ungaro]].<ref name="Santoro, 2000"/>

===Based in New York===
In 1952, Mingus co-founded [[Debut Records]] with [[Max Roach]] so he could conduct his recording career as he saw fit. The name originated from his desire to document unrecorded young musicians. Despite this, the best-known recording the company issued was of the most prominent figures in bebop. On May 15, 1953, Mingus joined [[Dizzy Gillespie]], Parker, [[Bud Powell]], and Roach for a concert at [[Massey Hall]] in Toronto, which is the [[Jazz at Massey Hall|last recorded documentation]] of Gillespie and Parker playing together. After the event, Mingus chose to overdub his barely audible bass part back in New York; the original version was issued later. The two 10" albums of the Massey Hall concert (one featured the trio of Powell, Mingus and Roach) were among Debut Records' earliest releases. Mingus may have objected to the way the major record companies treated musicians, but Gillespie once commented that he did not receive any royalties "for years and years" for his Massey Hall appearance. The records, however, are often regarded as among the finest live jazz recordings.

One story has it that Mingus was involved in a notorious incident while playing a 1955 club date billed as a "reunion" with Parker, Powell, and Roach. Powell, who suffered from alcoholism and mental illness (possibly exacerbated by a severe police beating and electroshock treatments), had to be helped from the stage, unable to play or speak coherently. As Powell's incapacitation became apparent, Parker stood in one spot at a microphone, chanting "Bud Powell&nbsp;... Bud Powell&nbsp;..." as if beseeching Powell's return. Allegedly, Parker continued this incantation for several minutes after Powell's departure, to his own amusement and Mingus's exasperation. Mingus took another microphone and announced to the crowd, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please don't associate me with any of this. This is not jazz. These are sick people."<ref name="auto"/> This was Parker's last public performance; about a week later he died after years of substance abuse.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}

Mingus often worked with a mid-sized ensemble (around 8–10 members) of rotating musicians known as the Jazz Workshop. Mingus broke new ground, constantly demanding that his musicians be able to explore and develop their perceptions on the spot.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} Those who joined the Workshop (or Sweatshops as they were colorfully dubbed by the musicians) included [[Pepper Adams]], [[Jaki Byard]], [[Booker Ervin]], [[John Handy]], [[Jimmy Knepper]], [[Charles McPherson (musician)|Charles McPherson]], and [[Horace Parlan]]. Mingus shaped these musicians into a cohesive improvisational machine that in many ways anticipated [[free jazz]]. Some musicians dubbed the workshop a "university" for jazz.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===''Pithecanthropus Erectus'' and other recordings===
The 1950s are generally regarded as Mingus's most productive and fertile period. Over a ten-year period, he made 30 records for a number of labels ([[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]], [[Candid Records|Candid]], [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[Impulse! Records|Impulse]] and others). Mingus had already recorded around ten albums as a bandleader, but 1956 was a breakthrough year for him, with the release of ''[[Pithecanthropus Erectus (album)|Pithecanthropus Erectus]]'', arguably his first major work as both a bandleader and composer.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}} Like Ellington, Mingus wrote songs with specific musicians in mind, and his band for ''Erectus'' included adventurous musicians: piano player [[Mal Waldron]], alto saxophonist [[Jackie McLean]] and the [[Sonny Rollins]]-influenced tenor of [[J. R. Monterose]]. The title song is a ten-minute [[tone poem]], depicting the rise of man from his [[Hominidae|hominid]] roots (''[[Java Man|Pithecanthropus erectus]]'') to an eventual downfall. A section of the piece was [[free improvisation]], free of structure or theme.

Another album from this period, ''[[The Clown (album)|The Clown]]'' (1957, also on [[Atlantic Records]]), the title track of which features narration by humorist [[Jean Shepherd]], was the first to feature drummer [[Dannie Richmond]], who remained his preferred drummer until Mingus's death in 1979. The two men formed one of the most impressive and versatile [[rhythm section]]s in jazz. Both were accomplished performers seeking to stretch the boundaries of their music while staying true to its roots. When joined by pianist [[Jaki Byard]], they were dubbed "The Almighty Three".<ref>Monson, Ingrid. ''Saying Something: Jazz Improvisation and Interaction''. University of Chicago Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-226-53478-2}}</ref>

===''Mingus Ah Um'' and other works===
In 1959, Mingus and his jazz workshop musicians recorded one of his best-known albums, ''[[Mingus Ah Um]]''. Even in a year of standout masterpieces, including [[Dave Brubeck]]'s ''[[Time Out (album)|Time Out]]'', [[Miles Davis]]'s ''[[Kind of Blue]]'', [[John Coltrane]]'s ''[[Giant Steps]]'', and [[Ornette Coleman]]'s ''[[The Shape of Jazz to Come]]'', this was a major achievement, featuring such classic Mingus compositions as "[[Goodbye Pork Pie Hat]]" (an elegy to [[Lester Young]]) and the vocal-less version of "Fables of Faubus" (a protest against segregationist Arkansas governor [[Orval Faubus]] that features double-time sections). In 2003 the album's legacy was cemented when it was inducted into the [[National Recording Registry]]. Also during 1959, Mingus recorded the album ''[[Blues & Roots]]'', which was released the following year. Mingus said in his liner notes: "I was born swinging and clapped my hands in church as a little boy, but I've grown up and I like to do things other than just swing. But blues can do more than just swing."

Mingus witnessed [[Ornette Coleman]]'s legendary—and controversial—1960 appearances at New York City's [[Five Spot]] jazz club. He initially expressed rather mixed feelings for Coleman's innovative music: "... if the free-form guys could play the same tune twice, then I would say they were playing something ... Most of the time they use their fingers on the saxophone and they don't even know what's going to come out. They're experimenting." That same year, however, Mingus formed a quartet with Richmond, trumpeter [[Ted Curson]] and multi-instrumentalist [[Eric Dolphy]]. This ensemble featured the same instruments as Coleman's quartet, and is often regarded as Mingus rising to the challenging new standard established by Coleman. The quartet recorded on both ''[[Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus]]'' and ''[[Mingus (Charles Mingus album)|Mingus]]''. The former also features the version of "[[Fables of Faubus]]" with lyrics, aptly titled "Original Faubus Fables".

In 1961, Mingus spent time staying at the house of his mother's sister (Louise) and her husband, [[Fess Williams]], a clarinetist and saxophonist, in Jamaica, Queens.<ref name="auto">Santoro, Gene. ''Myself When I Am Real: The Life and Music of Charles Mingus''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.</ref> Subsequently, Mingus invited Williams to play at the 1962 [[The Town Hall (New York City)|Town Hall]] Concert.<ref name=TrainWreck>{{cite news|title=Town Hall Train Wreck|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/town-hall-train-wreck/|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|date=June 6, 2000|access-date=January 27, 2024}}</ref>

Only one misstep occurred in this era: ''[[The Complete Town Hall Concert|The Town Hall Concert]]'' in October 1962, a "live workshop"/recording session. With an ambitious program, the event was plagued with troubles from its inception.<ref name=TrainWreck /> Mingus's vision, now known as ''[[Epitaph (Charles Mingus composition)|Epitaph]]'', was finally realized by conductor [[Gunther Schuller]] in a concert in 1989, a decade after Mingus died.

Outside of music, Mingus published a mail-order how-to guide in 1954 called ''The Charles Mingus CAT-alog for Toilet Training Your Cat''. The guide explained in detail how to get a cat to use a human toilet.<ref>{{cite web |title=Charles Mingus Cat Toilet Training Program|url=https://www.charlesmingus.com/mingus/cat-traning-program |website=Charles Mingus |access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Charles Mingus toilet trained his cat. We put his method to the test. |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-05-17/charles-mingus-toilet-trained-his-cat-we-put-his-method-test |website=The World from PRX |date=May 16, 2018 |access-date=23 June 2021}}</ref> Sixty years later, in 2014, the late American character actor [[Reg E. Cathey]] performed a voice recording of the complete guide for ''[[Studio 360]]''.<ref>{{citation |title=Studio 360: Reg E. Cathey Reads The Charles Mingus CAT-alog for Toilet Training Your Cat | date=November 20, 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bkf9dFRpsQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7Bkf9dFRpsQ| archive-date=December 11, 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=June 23, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===''The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady'' and other Impulse! albums===
In 1963, Mingus released ''[[The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady]]'', described as "one of the greatest achievements in orchestration by any composer in jazz history."<ref>Huey, Steve. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-black-saint-and-the-sinner-lady-r143918/review Review at ''AllMusic''.] Retrieved 5 December 2015.</ref> The album was also unique in that Mingus asked his psychotherapist, Dr. Edmund Pollock, to provide notes for the record.

Mingus also released ''[[Mingus Plays Piano]]'', an unaccompanied album featuring some fully improvised pieces, in 1963.

In addition, 1963 saw the release of ''[[Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus]]'', an album praised by critic [[Nat Hentoff]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Phillips |first=Matt |date=2024-01-23 |title=Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus |url=https://www.everythingjazz.com/story/mingus-mingus-mingus-mingus-mingus/ |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=Everything Jazz |publisher=[[Universal Music Group]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[File:Ad for Mingus film, 1968.jpg|thumb|upright|Ad for Thomas Reichman's 1968 Mingus documentary.]]
In 1964, Mingus put together one of his best-known groups, a sextet including [[Dannie Richmond]], [[Jaki Byard]], [[Eric Dolphy]], trumpeter [[Johnny Coles]], and tenor saxophonist [[Clifford Jordan]]. The group was recorded frequently during its short existence. Mosaic Records has released a 7-CD set, ''Charles Mingus – The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964–65'', featuring concerts from Town Hall, Amsterdam, Monterey ’64, Monterey ’65, & Minneapolis).<ref>{{cite web|last=Records|first=Mosaic|date=2021-07-20|title=Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 1964–65 – Mosaic Records|url=https://www.mosaicrecords.com/charles-mingus-jazz-workshop-albums/|access-date=2021-07-21|website=Mosaic Records – Home for Jazz fans!|language=en-US}}</ref> Coles fell ill and left during a European tour. Dolphy stayed in Europe after the tour ended, and died suddenly in Berlin on June 28, 1964. 1964 was also the year that Mingus met his future wife, [[Sue Mingus|Sue Graham Ungaro]]. The couple were married in 1966 by [[Allen Ginsberg]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/iviews/smingus.htm |title=Jazz |website=AllAboutJazz.com |date=January 5, 1979 |access-date=October 8, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111112073954/http://www.allaboutjazz.com/iviews/smingus.htm |archive-date=November 12, 2011}}</ref> Facing financial hardship, Mingus was evicted from his New York home in 1966.

===''Changes''===
Mingus's pace slowed somewhat in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1974, after his 1970 sextet with Charles McPherson, Eddie Preston and Bobby Jones disbanded, he formed a quintet with Richmond, pianist [[Don Pullen]], trumpeter [[Jack Walrath]] and saxophonist [[George Adams (musician)|George Adams]]. They recorded two well-received albums, ''[[Changes One (Mingus)|Changes One]]'' and ''[[Changes Two]]''. Mingus also played with [[Charles McPherson (musician)|Charles McPherson]] in many of his groups during this time. ''Cumbia and Jazz Fusion'' in 1976 sought to blend Colombian music (the "[[Cumbia]]" of the title) with more traditional jazz forms. In 1971, Mingus taught for a semester at the [[University at Buffalo|University at Buffalo, The State University of New York]] as the Slee Professor of Music.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spring semester of '71: Charles Mingus leaves his legacy at UB |url=https://www.ubspectrum.com/article/2016/11/charles-mingus-at-ub |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=UB Spectrum |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Later career and death===
By the mid-1970s, Mingus was feeling the effects of [[motor neuron disease]]. His once formidable bass technique declined until he could no longer play the instrument. He continued composing, however, and supervised a number of recordings before his death. At the time of his death, he was working with [[Joni Mitchell]] on an album eventually titled ''[[Mingus (Joni Mitchell album)|Mingus]]'', which included lyrics added by Mitchell to his compositions, including "[[Goodbye Pork Pie Hat]]". The album featured [[Wayne Shorter]], [[Herbie Hancock]], and bassist and composer, [[Jaco Pastorius]].

Mingus died on January 5, 1979, aged 56, in [[Cuernavaca]], [[Mexico]], where he had traveled for treatment and convalescence. His ashes were scattered in the [[Ganges River]].