Charles Mingus Articles
What’s Spinning for… John Goldsby
I am doing a Mingus project in May with the WDR Big Band, so I have been checking out Mingus’s music recently. He has left such a legacy on several levels: his bass playing, his rhythm section playing, his band leading and his composing. All of those aspects of Mingus’s music are interconnected, and [...]
Mingus Dynasty: Better Get It In Your Soul
One year after the passing of Charles Mingus, the Mingus Dynasty band took the stage at Montreux.
This performance of “Better Get It In Your Soul” features too bassists, starting with Mike Richmond and his opening solo, and also featuring bassist Aladár Pege.
The rest of the band includes Randy Brecker on trumpet, Joe Farrell on [...]
Charles Mingus: Flowers For A Lady
I’ve been on a Charles Mingus kick lately, watching a ton of great videos like this one. This performance of “Flowers for a Lady” was filmed on July 28, 1974 at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Todi, Italy.
Mingus is joined by Dannie Richmond on drums, Don Pullen on piano, George Adams on tenor sax [...]
Eddie Gomez, Bill Evans & Alex Riel: Autumn Leaves 1966
This video shows bassist Eddie Gomez playing with Bill Evans and Alex Riel.
Gomez played with the Bill Evans trio from 1966 to 1977. After the Bill Evans trio Gomez continued to work in a countless number of settings including filling in for Charles Mingus, playing with the fusion band Steps Ahead and working with [...]
No Treble Rewind: New lesson series, spotlight on Adam Tanner, new releases, videos & gear
In case you missed it, here are some of the most popular features from last week (August 23rd through 28th).
Features & Columns
Lesson: Melodic Construction
Jon Burr introduced a new lesson series, on melodic construction in improvisation.
Player Spotlight: Adam Tanner
Our player spotlight showcased the work of Adam Tanner (aka ZenBeer), a solo bassist from Ottawa, Ontario.
Ask Damian [...]
Charles Mingus: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat live in ‘75
Here’s Charles Mingus, playing one of his greatest tunes, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”.
This performance took place live at Montreux 1975, with Don Pullen on piano, George Adams on tenor sax, Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax, Benny Bailey on trumpet, and Danny Richmond on drums.
Dave Holland: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
This video showcases bassist Dave Holland performing a solo of “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat,” a composition by Charles Mingus as an elegy for jazz saxophone great Lester Young.
Holland is currently featuring previously unreleased tracks from his album Pass It On on his web site.
A look back at Ellen Johnson’s “These Days”
These Days has been on the shelves for a bit, but it should be in every bassist’s collection.
Ellen Johnson performs with bassist Darek Oles to create beautiful mixtures of voice and bass. It is not an exclusively duet album, other featured artists include Shelia Jordan, Roy McCurdy, Larry Koonse and Ana Gazzola.
The album was [...]
Mingus Awareness at The Hideout
Charles Mingus’ legacy in the world of jazz music will be celebrated on May 7th at The Hideout in Chicago. Mingus was a victim of ALS, and all the benefits of this celebration will go to the Les Turner ALS Foundation. ALS is better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Tickets are $12 or $10 for [...]
Charles Mingus Tribute at Manhattan School of Music
The 1st annual celebration of the life and works of Charles Mingus will be held February 20-22 at the Manhattan School of Music. The weekend is centered around the 1st Annual Charles Mingus High School Competition. Other festivities will include keynote speakers, a panel discussion, and performances by Manhattan School jazz ensembles as well as [...]
