Charles Mingus — Epitaph of a Music Genius Incarnate
One of the Greatest Musicians — Jazz or Otherwise
It was the centenary year (2022) of Charles Mingus‘ birthday. There are a number of epithets you can tie to this man’s name ― one of the greatest jazz composers (and a classical music composer too), double bassists, pianists, and band leaders. Oh, and thinkers too. Yet there is one that practically encompasses all of the above ― music genius incarnate. Or, simply, one of the greatest music thinkers of the twentieth century.
As Sophia Alexandra Hall notes in her Mingus essay for Classic.fm, at one point, Mingus himself asks a question: “What is a jazz composer?” This was the first sentence of the liner notes of his 1970 album, Let My Children Hear Music.
“When a jazz musician begins to ad lib on a given composition with a title and improvise a new creative melody, this man is taking the place of a composer.
“He is saying, ‘listen, I am going to give you a new complete idea with a new set of chord changes. I am going to give you a new melodic conception on a tune you are familiar with. I am a composer.’ That’s what he is saying.”
And in just those few sentences, Charles Mingus easily explains his concept of music, something he spread over more than a hundred albums he shared…
