Charles Mingus as Renowned Jazz Artist - Essay Example

Other (s) Charles Mingus Biography Charles Mingus is considered to be one of the most influential figures of the American music industry in the 20th century. Mingus was largely renowned for his roles as an accomplished virtuoso bass player and a great pianist, his composing skills as well as a band leader. Born in 1922 in Arizona and raised in California, Mingus earliest experience with music was mainly through listening to music over the radio as well as the group songs of the church choir (Mingus, 18).This was particularly with regard to the fact that his mother only preferred church related music in their home. Mingus increasingly developed interest in music particularly the songs of Duke Ellington which used to be played commonly over the radio. Due to his unwavering interests in music, Mingus decided to study trombone and cello as well as bass during his early teen years. Being a black student, he did not go very far with his education since most of his teachers as well as the schools of his time had a lot of racial prejudice towards students of color. This however significantly impacted on his early musical career particularly with regard to the fact that he was unable to read most of the musical notations. Most of Mingus’ early experiences such as the effects of racism on his musical career were manifested in compositions which primarily focused on justice, racism and discrimination. In practice, Charles Mingus quickly gained the reputation as an experienced bass performer. He soon joined a number of bands like Lionel Hampton and KidOry where he further perfected his professional experience in music. After settling in New York in the early 1950s, Charles Mingus began playing and recording with a number of leading musicians of his time some of which included Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. He eventually became a leading musician and creative composer until his death in 1979. Musical Information Charles Mingus was a bassist, composer and bandleader who juggled a number of musical styles. This was particularly with regard to the fact that he performed different types of music such as gospel music, blues, jazz and classical music. Although he was initially introduced to music through listening to the classical music and piano, Charles Mingus was particularly captivated by Duke Wellington’s Jazz music that was commonly played on the radio. He later developed interest in playing cello and trombone (Mungus, 24). With regard to his extraordinary styles as a bassist, composer and bandleader, Mingus is still considered to be one of the most influential American Jazz artists of the 20th century. He succeeded in forming one of the largest volumes of jazz songs. One of his unusual composing styles as a Jazz artist was his method of composing and playing at the same time. This style significantly enabled him to reconcile orchestration with jazz improvisation in a way that the final song often conformed closely to his original vision. One the other hand Charles Mungus was also a renowned bassist. As a bassist, Mungus styles helped transform the use of bass to include the use of bebop as well as a wide range of other bass styles both in his Gospel music and Jazz performances (Harrington, 15). He also incorporated avant-garde sentiments into his musical styles and this helped improve the technical and aesthetic value of his performances. Additionally by incorporating elements of gospel music into his jazz musical compositions, he was able to efficiently work together with his musicians as well as enhance opportunity for innovation during the performances. It was during the 1940s when Mingus particularly perfected his extraordinary styles of playing, composing as well as leading and managing bands. This was evidenced in some of his powerful works such as the Mingus Fingers where bass was primarily used in the development of the theme of the song. This kind of style was clearly a departure from the traditional role of bass in Jazz music which was primarily to help in keeping time during the performances. When Mingus settled in New York, he immediately began working with the bepop movement as a bassist. Due to internal wrangles, Mingus was forced to leave the party as well as bepop culture for other musical fields. He however did not abandon some of the musical experiences as well as compositional styles which he acquired during his short stay with the pepop movement (Perry, 172). Another significant influence on the music styles of Mingus was the black church music. Mingus initial exposure to the church songs took place during his early childhood. This was particularly with regard to the fact that his mother only preferred church related music in their home. For example some of Mingus’ songs during the 1950s significantly resembled the songs that were usually sung in the church. Some of the aspects of church music that were evident in his styles include the use of high pitched moan instrumentals as well as shouting “Lord I know” during some of his performances. Another style that was borrowed from the church songs was the raising of voices in a crescendo style during some of the performances. In this kind of style, saxophone solo was usually accompanied with some fait drum beats and hand claps. By incorporating the styles used church songs into jazz, Mingus’ primary aim was to combine the two musical genres together and give the resultant blues more structure while at the same time minimizing the cerebral sound of the contemporary jazz music. This enabled him to bring a completely new innovation to jazz music. Additionally Mingus also borrowed some technical knowledge from the church to improve his styles and make his jazz compositions to be unique. For example during his initial exposure to church music, Mungus had learnt that the underlying beats can be tightened to enhance flexibility of applying any rhythm on the top. This style is common in church songs where the rhythms are usually allowed to dictate the instrumental beats, chorus and solos. Coleman (24) suggests that Mingus’ earliest experience with music was mainly listening to music over the radio particularly the ones played by Duke Ellington and therefore he increasingly developed interest in music particularly the songs of Duke Ellington. As a result his musical styles during his later life significantly resembled the styles used by Ellington both in terms of composition and performance. One the other hand, his early experience with musical instruments such as cello and trombone partly explains his occasional style of using these instruments in his compositions and performances (Priestley, 4). During his days as a jazz musician, Mingus was the only artist who maintained the use of instruments such as trombone in his compositions. As a band leader, Mingus always emphasized on originality and he did not allow his musicians to copy the styles of other popular jazz artists of the time such as Charlie Parker. This is particularly because he believed his band could always perform better than the other jazz artists of the time. He never the less encouraged his band members to conform to the general vision of the particular composition being played or practiced. One of his unusual of ensuring perfection during his performances was the act of sometimes stopping the song in the middle during the performance to correct the mistakes of his musicians. During his roles as a band leader, one of the primary goals of Mingus was to bridge the gap between orchestration and improvisation in jazz music. He was also blessed with the unique ability of conceiving compositions in his mind and working them out on the piano or playing them for his band members at the same time. His strict and authoritative style of band leadership however resulted in many of his musicians abandoning the band. Conclusion In conclusion, Charles Mingus was a renowned jazz artist who combined the roles of being a powerful bassist, composer and bandleader al, at the same time. In his roles as a composer and bandleader, during one of his key goals of was to bridge the gap between orchestration and improvisation in jazz music. His unique styles significantly contributed to the transformation of the performance of jazz music and Charles Mungus remain one of the most influential figures of the American music industry in the 20th century. Works Cited Coleman, Janet. Mingus/Mingus: Two Memoirs . New York: Limelight Editions, 1991. Print. Harrington, Richard. "Mementos of Mingus." The Washington Post 2 Jun. 1993: B1. Mingus, Charles. Beneath the Underdog . New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1971. Perry, David. Jazz Greats . London: Phaidon Press Limited, 1996. Priestley, Brian. Mingus: A Critical Biography . New York: Da Capo Press, 1982. Read More