Charles Mingus Played Bass?: Rediscovering a Jazz Soloist Through Transcription
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Abstract
Bassist and composer Charles Mingus (1922-1979) was one of jazz music's most influential and prolific artists. Both his instrumental and compositional abilities were highly regarded during his life, and remain so today. However, current discussions focus more on his composing than soloing, which has led many to overlook his impact on jazz bass and his individual, virtuosic solo style. This shift in focus has weakened Mingus's legacy and made his influence on modern jazz one-sided. By concentrating on Mingus's bass playing, this document seeks to reestablish Mingus's position as an important and influential bassist. This will partly be accomplished by comparing past musicians' opinions with today's historicization of Mingus's bass playing. An extensive analysis of various Mingus solos between 1947 and 1959 will further define Mingus's style, highlight its progressive characteristics, and show his growth as a soloist. Aside from prompting future discussions on Mingus's solo style, the conclusions of this study will strengthen jazz history research by showing how historicization, if left unchecked, can easily lessen an important musician's legacy
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Biography -- Reception of Mingus's solo style -- Solo analyses -- Conclusion
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M.M.