Charles Mingus
American jazz upright bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author.
Charles Mingus Jr. was a jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, pianist, and author. He strongly advocated for collective improvisation and is widely regarded as one of the most important jazz musicians and composers ever. His career lasted about thirty years, and he worked with major figures like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, and Eric Dolphy. His music covered a lot of ground, from advanced bebop and avant-garde jazz in small and mid-sized groups to pioneering post-bop on key albums such as *Pithecanthropus Erectus* (1956) and *Mingus Ah Um* (1959), as well as ambitious big-band works like *The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady* (1963).
Mingus was born in Nogales, Arizona, in 1922. His father, Charles Mingus Sr., was a U.S. Army staff sergeant born in 1877 in North Carolina; his mother was Harriet Sophia Phillips, who died of myocarditis a few months after his birth. The family moved to the Watts area of Los Angeles soon after. Mingus grew up with two older half-sisters from his father’s first marriage. His father remarried in 1923 to Mamie Carson, who allowed only church music at home, but Mingus developed an early love for other music, especially Duke Ellington’s. He first studied trombone and then cello, but could not pursue cello professionally because it was nearly impossible for a Black musician to have a classical career then, and the cello wasn’t accepted as a jazz instrument. He remained attached to the cello; when he studied bass with Red Callender in the late 1930s, Callender noted the cello was still his main instrument. Mingus later wrote that he only started learning bass when Buddy Collette let him join his swing band on the condition he play bass.
Because of a poor education, young Mingus couldn’t read music quickly enough to join the local youth orchestra, which made him feel shut out from classical music. These early experiences, along with lifelong encounters with racism, shaped his music, which often dealt with racism, discrimination, and injustice. Much of his cello technique transferred to the double bass when he took it up in high school. He studied for five years with Herman Reinshagen, the New York Philharmonic’s principal bassist, and compositional techniques with Lloyd Reese. For much of his career, he played a 1927 bass made by German luthier Ernst Heinrich Roth. As a teenager, Mingus was already writing advanced pieces that blended classical elements, similar to third stream music. Several of these pieces were recorded in 1960 with conductor Gunther Schuller and released as *Pre-Bird*, referencing Charlie “Bird” Parker; Mingus was one of many musicians whose outlook was split by Parker into “pre- and post-Bird” eras.
Mingus became known as a bass prodigy. His first major professional job was with former Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard. He toured with Louis Armstrong in 1943, and by early 1945 was recording in Los Angeles with a band led by Russell Jacquet that included Teddy Edwards, Maurice James Simon, Wild Bill Davis, and Chico Hamilton. In May of that year, he played again with Edwards in a band led by Howard McGhee. He then worked with Lionel Hampton’s band in the late 1940s; Hampton performed and recorded several Mingus compositions. In 1950–51, a trio with Mingus, Red Norvo, and Tal Farlow was well received, but Mingus’s race caused problems with some club owners, so he left. He briefly joined Ellington’s band in 1953, substituting for bassist Wendell Marshall, but his temper led to a backstage fight with Juan Tizol, and Ellington personally fired him—one of only a few musicians Ellington dismissed. In the early 1950s, before finding success as a bandleader, Mingus played gigs with Charlie Parker, whose work deeply inspired him. Mingus considered Parker the greatest genius and innovator in jazz, but had a love-hate relationship with his legacy. He blamed the Parker myth for producing derivative imitators and was troubled by Parker’s self-destructive habits and the romanticized drug addiction they encouraged in other musicians. In response to the many saxophonists copying Parker, Mingus titled a song.
- born
- April 22, 1922
- died
- January 5, 1979
- field
- Jazz musician, composer, bandleader
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Collective improvisation, post-bop style, Jazz Workshop
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Mingus was born in Nogales, Arizona, in 1922, to Charles Mingus Sr., a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, and Harriet Sophia Mingus. His family moved to the Watts area of Los Angeles shortly after his birth. He studied trombone, and later cello, but was unable to follow the cello professionally because 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. He took up double bass in high school, studying for five years with Herman Reinshagen, principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic, and compositional techniques with Lloyd Reese. Due to a poor education, the young Mingus could not read musical notation quickly enough to join the local youth orchestra, 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. 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. He then played with Lionel Hampton's band in the late 1940s; Hampton performed and recorded several Mingus pieces. In 1953, Mingus was briefly a member of Duke Ellington's band, as a substitute for bassist Wendell Marshall, but was fired by Ellington after a backstage fight between Mingus and Juan Tizol. Also in the early 1950s, Mingus played gigs with Charlie Parker, whose compositions and improvisations greatly inspired and influenced him. In 1952, Mingus co-founded Debut Records with Max Roach. On May 15, 1953, Mingus joined Dizzy Gillespie, Parker, Bud Powell, and Roach for a concert at Massey Hall in Toronto, which is the last recorded documentation of Gillespie and Parker playing together. Mingus often worked with a mid-sized ensemble (around 8–10 members) of rotating musicians known as the Jazz Workshop, constantly demanding that his musicians be able to explore and develop their perceptions on the spot.
Reader's Guide
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, Candid, Columbia, Impulse!, and others). 1956 was a breakthrough year with the release of *Pithecanthropus Erectus*, arguably his first major work as both a bandleader and composer. The title song is a ten-minute tone poem depicting the rise of man from his hominid roots (*Pithecanthropus erectus*) to an eventual downfall, with a section of free improvisation, free of structure or theme. Another album from this period, *The Clown* (1957, also on Atlantic Records), the title track of which features narration by humorist Jean Shepherd, was the first to feature drummer... Mingus's compositions continue to be played by contemporary musicians ranging from the repertory bands Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, and Mingus Orchestra to high school students who play the charts and compete in the Charles Mingus High School Competition. In 1993, the Library of Congress acquired Mingus's collected papers—including scores, sound recordings, correspondence, and photos—in what it called 'the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library's history'.
Did You Know?
- Mingus studied cello before taking up double bass, and his teacher Red Callender commented that the cello was still Mingus's main instrument even after he began bass lessons.
- Mingus was one of the few musicians personally fired by Duke Ellington, after a backstage fight between Mingus and Juan Tizol.
- At the 1955 club date billed as a 'reunion' with Parker, Powell, and Roach, Mingus took a microphone and announced, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please don't associate me with any of this. This is not jazz. These are sick people.'
- Mingus co-founded Debut Records with Max Roach in 1952 so he could conduct his recording career as he saw fit.
- In 1993, the Library of Congress acquired Mingus's collected papers, calling it 'the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library's history'.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Charles Mingus?
Charles Mingus Jr. (1922–1979) was an American jazz musician best known as an upright bassist, though he also composed, led bands, played piano, and wrote books. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in jazz history.
What was Charles Mingus's main musical role?
Mingus was foremost an upright bassist who also wrote and directed music for his ensembles. He was a leading advocate of collective improvisation, a style in which multiple players improvise simultaneously rather than taking solo turns.
Why is Charles Mingus important to jazz?
Over roughly three decades he expanded the harmonic and structural vocabulary of post-bop jazz, blending composed passages with free group interplay. His compositional and leadership approach left a lasting mark on how jazz ensembles function.
Which other jazz greats did Charles Mingus work with?
His career included significant collaborations with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Max Roach, and Eric Dolphy, among others.
When did Charles Mingus die?
Mingus passed away on January 5, 1979, at the age of 56. His death marked the end of a performing and composing career that had spanned from the early 1950s through the late 1970s.
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