2023 NEA Jazz Masters (left to right): Louis Hayes (photo by Janette Beckman), Regina Carter (photo by Jeff Dunn), Kenny Garrett (photo by Jimmy Katz), Sue Mingus (Photo courtesy Mingus Archives) National Endowment for the Arts hide caption
Charles Mingus Charles Mingus artist page: interviews, features and/or performances archived at NPR Music
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus, photographed at a party in New York on Aug. 4, 1976. For poet and critic Harmony Holiday, the complexities that underpin legacies like Mingus' were a constant puzzle this year. Lynn Karlin/Penske Media via Getty Images hide caption
John Foster, Charles Mingus, Roy Brooks, Charles McPherson performs live. Aout 1972. Photo : Christian Rose/Fastimage Christian Rose/Fastimage/Christian Rose/Fastimage hide caption
Charles Mingus, photographed performing in Germany in 1972. Ullstein Bild/Getty Images hide caption
Pusha T's It's Almost Dry tops our shortlist of the best new albums out this week. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Charles Mingus is often regarded as one of the greatest jazz composers of the 20th century. Bettmann/Bettmann Archive hide caption
How the late jazz great Charles Mingus is being remembered 100 years later
Jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie performs at the Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival on Jan. 15, 1966. Bob Daugherty/AP hide caption
Edward Norton Vava Ribeiro/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Edward Norton On World Cafe
Charles Mingus poses next to a poster for his six nights of performances at the Strata Concert Gallery in Detroit in 1973. A recording of one of those nights has just been released. Sue Mingus/Courtesy of BBE Music hide caption
Jason Moran (left) and Georgia Anne Muldrow celebrate Charles Mingus during a program at the Kennedy Center. Jati Lindsay/Courtesy of the Kennedy Center hide caption
Muldrow Meets Mingus
Los Gaiteros De San Jacinto courtesy of the artist hide caption
Wynton Marsalis leads a group of musicians through upper Manhattan's Riverside Church for the New Orleans-style funeral of vibraphonist Lionel Hampton in 2002. Doug Kanter/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Gunther Schuller conducts the Mingus Orchestra at St. Bartholomew's Church. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
The Mingus Orchestra On JazzSet
Bassist Charles Mingus leads a band at the 1964 Monterey Jazz Festival, including Lonnie Hillyer (trumpet) and Charles McPherson (alto sax, obscured). Ray Avery/CTSIMAGES hide caption
A Charles Mingus Anecdote That Has Nothing To Do With Breasts
Gary Bartz performs at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival. The saxophonist is often cited as a messenger of black empowerment in music. David Redfern/Redferns hide caption
Don Byron released Love, Peace, and Soul with his New Gospel Quintet on Feb. 21. Till Krautkraemer/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sees off a group of Freedom Riders as they board a bus for Jackson, Miss., on May 24, 1961. Paul Schutzer/Life hide caption
Agalloch and Ludicra drummer Aesop Dekker says he thinks Bobby Hutcherson is a sorcerer. Ross Sewage/Courtesy of Profound Lore hide caption
The Mingus Big Band keeps a regular Monday-night gig at the Jazz Standard in New York City. Jimmy Katz hide caption
Highlights From The Jazz Standard On JazzSet
Charles Mingus getting cozy with a Verdi Imperial Stout. (And, yes, this is an "unauthorized" copy of Mexican Moods. Sorry, Sue Mingus, it was a gift.) Lars Gotrich/NPR hide caption
A collage of records. Christopher Toothman/NPR hide caption
Lauren Sevian steps up to the mic to establish "Moanin'" with a powerful baritone sax line. David Tallacksen/WBGO hide caption