Let the People Hear Mingus’s Music on Mondays are chosen by their availability, skill and personality, and it is up to Sue to balance out their powers for a spectacular performance. If you’re interested in Mingus’s music and the legend that it upholds, you should check out the newly released Mingus Big Band Live at Jazz Standard. The songs played are originals conducted by Mingus, brought to life again by talented musicians of all ages. Thanks to Sue and the players themselves, Charles Mingus will live on forever, and with the help of “Mingus Mondays,” the complex music can be heard in person on a weekly basis. It’s music that touches your heart, but also causes you to get up and sh vout, “Oh yeah!” > The Mingus Bands perform Monday evenings at the Jazz Standard, 116 E. 27th St. For more information, please visit www.mingusmingusmingus.com
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By nicole zak – An ongoing musical tradition for over a half-century is the upbeat jazz songs composed by the iconic Charles Mingus. After his death in 1979, Mingus’s music still lives on thanks to his wife, Sue, a loving and hardworking woman who has taken over the reins and resurrected her husband’s music. Over the years Sue has created multiple Mingus bands—such as the Mingus Big Band, Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty—with Charles’s music, of course, being the theme. But even though they’re all based off the same individual, the bands vary greatly from one another, each having their own personality and unique sound. The Big Band requires the most attention, as it’s composed of 14 pieces and features a variety of instruments, including the bassoon, guitar and French horn. The bands have a secured spot to play once a week at the Jazz Standard (116 E. 27th St.) for “Mingus Monday,” where the three groups will rotate each week. The musicians who play
Mingus Big Band with Sue Mingus [by Jimmy Katz]
> How the jazz greats wife keeps his legacy alive