Mingus, a critical biography
By: Brian Priestley
Edition: Da Capo Press pbk. ed.
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 308
Copyright date: 1982
Subjects: Biography; Jazz musicians
Description: It would be no exaggeration to call Charles Mingus the greatest bass player in the history of jazz; indeed, some might even regard it as understatement, for the hurricane power of his work as a composer, teacher, band leader, and iconoclast reached far beyond jazz while remaining true to its heritage in the music of Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. In this new biography the author has written a masterly study of Mingus's dynamic career from the early years in Swing, to the escapades of the Bebop era, through his musical maturity in the '50s when he directed a band that redefined collective improvisation in jazz. Woven in with exacting assessments of Mingus{u2019}s artistic legacy is the story of his volatile, unpredictable, sometimes dangerous personality. The book views Mingus as a black artist increasingly politicized by his situation, but also unreliable as a witness to his own persecution. Capturing him in all his furious contradictions--passionate, cool, revolutionary but with a keen sense of tradition--the author has produced what can be called, again without exaggeration, the best biography of a jazz musician we have ever seen.
Notes: Reprint. Originally published: London : Quartet Books, 1982.

Discography: p. 247-282.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.