One of the most important figures in twentieth-century American music, Charles
Mingus was a virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader, activist, and
prolific composer. Recording over 100 albums and writing over 300 compositions
in his lifetime, Mingus left behind the largest legacy in American music after Duke
Ellington. His entire works have been acquired by the Library of Congress - a first
for jazz, and a first for a Black composer. He was the recipient of grants from the
National Endowment for the Arts, The Smithsonian Institute, and the Guggenheim
Foundation, and his music is as sharply innovative and vibrantly modern today as
it was at the time of its inception.
The New Yorker wrote: "For sheer melodic and rhythmic and structural originality,
his compositions may equal anything written in Western music in the twentieth
century.” Following his death in 1979 from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), the Library
of Congress acquired Mingus’ entire catalog of work - including original scores,
recordings, and personal effects. An NEA grant enabled the cataloging of all his
compositions. Microfilm copies were donated to the New York Public Library and
Library of Congress. He has also been honored with a US Postage stamp.
The growing critical and popular success of the Mingus repertory bands is a
testament to the power of Mingus compositions. The availability of his music
through published arrangements, educational books, school courses, and
workshops, coupled with the hugely successful annual Charles Mingus High
School Competition, has expanded and extended the reach of his legacy.
Students, musicians, scholars, and fans are exploring and embracing Mingus as
never before.