RIP, Charles Mingus (1922-1979)

Jazz bassist Charles Mingus (1922-1979) died on January 5, 1979, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, following complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). He was 56 years old. His ashes were scattered in the Ganges River.

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons calls Mingus a "crucial" transitional figure between modern jazz and free jazz and attributes the power of his music "to his mastery of a wide range of emotions."

In his book, Lyons recommends two of Mingus's albums:

• The Charlie Mingus Jazz Workshop/Stormy Weather (Barnaby). Unfortunately, this album is not available on CD, and so Jim Determan recommends instead Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (Candid), which contains about half of the Barnaby album. Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus is available on CD from Amazon.com.
  
• Passions of a Man (Atlantic). Available on CD from Amazon.com.
  

Mingus and his quintet play "Flowers For A Lady" here:

Robert
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