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The reason its difficult is because Im changing all the time. Charles Mingus. As news of Tom Verlaine's death is confirmed this January, . The former also features the version of "Fables of Faubus" with lyrics, aptly titled "Original Faubus Fables". Charles was born in 1922 and was inspired by church music but also by Duke Ellington, a big band composer and arranger that reshaped Jazz music in the 1930s. In 2003 the album's legacy was cemented when it was inducted into the National Recording Registry. Mingus shaped these musicians into a cohesive improvisational machine that in many ways anticipated free jazz. [13] Subsequently, Mingus invited Williams to play at the 1962 Town Hall Concert.[15]. Charles Mingus - Artist Details. UK. Mingus was a visionary composer, a fearless band leader and a pioneer of collective improvisation. And its ironic that while the premiere of Epitaph was being performed in Avery Fisher Hall, just a few doors down, the missing movements, three in all, were peacefully resting on their shelf, neatly cataloged in the music archives. Recorded in 1960, "Pre-Bird" (later reissued as "Mingus Revisited") is a set that Charles Mingus devoted to his astonishingly pre-bop compositions. Jesse Paris Smith, confirmed Verlaine's passing on January 28, 2023. In the liner notes to the album Reincarnation of a Lovebird, Mingus explained how the composition . The effort to preserve and honor his legacy was already underway, thanks not. Charles Mingus's music is currently being performed and reinterpreted by the Mingus Big Band, which in October 2008 began playing every Monday at Jazz Standard in New York City, and often tours the rest of the U.S. and Europe. Charles Mingus died in 1979 after a long bout with Lou Gehrig's disease. 1959, Mingus contributed most of the music for, 1961, Mingus appeared as a bassist and actor in the British film, 1968, Thomas Reichman directed the documentary, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 04:29. This does not include any of his five wives (he claims to have been married to two of them simultaneously). Mingus was after Orval Faubus, the Arkansas governor who in 1957, against federal orders to dismantle segregation in public schools, ordered the state's national guard to block nine black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock. It's anarchic yet orderly. Charles Mingus Jr. One story has it that Mingus was involved in a notorious incident while playing a 1955 club date billed as a "reunion" with Parker, Powell, and Roach. Blanton was known for his incredible . [5][6][7], In Mingus's autobiography Beneath the Underdog his mother was described as "the daughter of an English/Chinese man and a South-American woman", and his father was the son "of a black farm worker and a Swedish woman". Army. [citation needed]. Mingus was briefly a member of Ellington's band in 1953, as a substitute for bassist Wendell Marshall. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the San Diego Union-Tribune. At the time of his death, he was 57 years old. It was much more tentative back in 1989 because it was this gigantic block of material that nobody had heard. Another album from this period, The Clown (1957, also on Atlantic Records), the title track of which features narration by humorist Jean Shepherd, was the first to feature drummer Dannie Richmond, who remained his preferred drummer until Mingus's death in 1979. The normal jazz orchestra of the time was about 16 players, this piece has 31 performers. His refusal to compromise his musical integrity led to many onstage eruptions, exhortations to musicians, and dismissals. AKA Charles Mingus Jr. Born: 22-Apr - 1922 Birthplace: Nogales, AZ Died: 5-Jan - 1979 Location of death: Cuernavaca, Mexico Cause of death: Lou Gehrig's Disease Remains: Cremated (ashes scattered in the Ganges) Gender: Male Religion: Anglican/Episcopalian Race or Ethnicity: Multiracial Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Jazz Musician A massive undertaking, the original 1989 performance of Epitaph, which the New York Times called one of the most important musical events of the decade, took more than two years of preparation and 10 rehearsals with the full orchestra before it was premiered posthumously, 10 years after Mingus death. Charles Mingus died of a heart attack at 56 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Charles Mingus. An . The autobiography does not confirm whether Charles Mingus Sr. or Mingus himself believed this story was true, or whether it was merely an embellished version of the Mingus family's lineage. Mingus also released Mingus Plays Piano, an unaccompanied album featuring some fully improvised pieces, in 1963. We put his method to the test", "Charles Mingus: The Jazz Workshop Concerts 196465 Mosaic Records", "Myself When I Am Real: The Life and Music of Charles Mingus, by Gene Santoro", "An Argument With Instruments: On Charles Mingus | The Nation", "Tonight at Noon: Three of Four Shades of Love", "JAZZ VIEW; Hearing Mingus Again, Seeing Him Anew", "Library of Congress Acquires Charles Mingus Collection", "Charles Mingus: Requiem for the Underdog", Howard Fischer collection of Charles Mingus correspondence and legal documents, 1959, 1965-1967, Isham Memorial Library, Harvard University, A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_Mingus&oldid=1139061635, American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from June 2020, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. While Mingusphiles were understandably excited about the recent performances of Epitaph with the missing piece intact, the world premiere of Inquisition actually happened 14 years ago, on April 24, 1993, as part of Jazz on the Border: The Mingus Project, a weeklong celebration of Mingus music held in his hometown of Nogales, Ariz. A larger-than-life figure and world-class curmudgeon with a well-documented volcanic temper, Mingus had spent the last year of his life in a wheelchair, unable to use his legs or hands. [8], Due to a poor education, the young Mingus could not read musical notation quickly enough to join the local youth orchestra. He died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS (also known as Lou Gehrigs Disease), six months before the albums release. By Charles Mingus. Charles Mingus was dying when he saw Joni Mitchell in blackface. When joined by pianist Jaki Byard, they were dubbed "The Almighty Three". "[13] This was Parker's last public performance; about a week later he died after years of substance abuse. [citation needed], Mingus gained a reputation as a bass prodigy. This in fact was some of the missing measures. Mingus centennial will be celebrated Saturday in Nogales, the Arizona border town where he was born. So Charles pulled out a couple pieces from the closet to give them. Those who joined the Workshop (or Sweatshops as they were colorfully dubbed by the musicians) included Pepper Adams, Jaki Byard, Booker Ervin, John Handy, Jimmy Knepper, Charles McPherson and Horace Parlan. Gunther Schuller's edition of Mingus's "Epitaph", which premiered at Lincoln Center in 1989, was subsequently released on Columbia/Sony Records. Now a first-year music student will play The Rite of Spring and run it off like its nothing. But blues can do more than just swing.". "Charles Mingus, a musical mystic, died in Mexico, January 5, 1979, at the age of 56. Charles Mingus American jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader (1922-1979) Charles Mingus i 1976 Upload media Wikipedia Wikiquote Date of birth 22 April 1922 Nogales Date of death 5 January 1979 Cuernavaca Manner of death natural causes Cause of death amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Work period (start) 1943 Country of citizenship Charles Mingus originally did Wouldn't You, Remember Rockefeller at Attica, Tonight at Noon, Open Letter to Duke and other songs. Mingus's pace slowed somewhat in the late 1960s and early 1970s. So what he mustve done whether he did it with a sense of mischief or who knows he plucked out a piece from the middle of Epitaph, which turned out to be Inquisition, and sold it to the library. He was a renaissance man who was bigger than life, McPherson said. And Mingus, who could be rather short-tempered, was exploding all throughout the concert, which didnt help, of course. New York Ska Jazz Ensemble has done a cover of Mingus's "Haitian Fight Song", as have the British folk rock group Pentangle and others. The 1950s are generally regarded as Mingus's most productive and fertile period. He moved to New York in 1951 to broaden his musical horizons. The film also features Mingus performing in clubs and in the apartment, firing a .410 shotgun indoors, composing at the piano, playing with and taking care of his young daughter Caroline, and discussing love, art, politics, and the music school he had hoped to create. Referring to Don Buttefield, a white collaborator, Mr. Mingus said, He's colorless, like all the good ones., In the late 1960's, Mr. Mingus fell into a decline, brought about by what one friend called a deep depression. He moved to the East Village and lived in a state of destitution. He was as honest as the day is long. But Mitchell's minstrelsy on the cover of Don Juan's Reckless Daughter got his attention. It was nearly three decades ago that the legendary bassist-composer-bandleader Charles Mingus died from a heart attack after a long battle with the terminal nerve illness amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrigs disease. Charles Mingus Quotes - BrainyQuote. All rights reserved. He made massive strides in all categories. American jazz bassist, composer and bandleader (19221979). In Beneath the Underdog, Mingus states that he did not actually start learning bass until Buddy Collette accepted him into his swing band under the stipulation that he be the band's bass player. Mrz 2023 um 20:09 #12008627 | PERMALINK. 1950 Began with Kid Ory and Barney Bigard. It was daring approach that helped change the shape of jazz to come. After the event, Mingus chose to overdub his barely audible bass part back in New York; the original version was issued later. Mingus considered Parker the greatest genius and innovator in jazz history, but he had a love-hate relationship with Parker's legacy. Charles Mingus, 56, one of the first jazz musicians to use the bass as a solo instrument and a major modern jazz composer, died Friday in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It was like finding the Holy Grail. Genre. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy. That same year, however, Mingus formed a quartet with Richmond, trumpeter Ted Curson and multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy. The 1992 tribute album, Hal Willner Presents Weird Nightmare: Meditations on Mingus, features performances by a disparate array of avowed Mingus fans. In addition, 1963 saw the release of Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus, an album praised by critic Nat Hentoff.[21]. This was reinforced by two things: the fact that the word Epitaph appeared along the title page of many of the pieces and that the measures were numbered consecutively., In the course of his exhaustive detective work on Epitaph, Homzy noticed that there were places in the scores where some measure numbers were missing. Mingus was the great-great-great-grandson of the family's founding patriarch who was, by most accounts, a German immigrant. He had been ill for a year with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Theres so much joy and life in his music and it reflects the complexity of the man he was, so real and raw.. English guitar star Jeff Becks 1976 album, Wired, featured his alternately reverent and edgy version of Mingus 1959 ballad, Goodbye Pork Pie Hat. The haunting song has since been recorded by at least 145 other artists, including the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble, Japanese flutist Tamami Koyake and the German big band Fette Hupe. Mingus was a forerunner in double bass technique, he also pioneered in overdubbing and cutting-up/reassembling tapes of different . It could also be raucous, gritty and rollicking, elegant and experimental, nuanced and explosive. The last year of Mr. Mingus's life was described by Sy Johnson, a longtime col- laborator and friend, as Mingus's finest hour as a human being. He composed steadily even when he was no longer able to play or even sing, and his projects in- cluded a collaboration with Joni Mitchell, the popular folkrock singer and com- poser who has been turning increasingly to jazz in recent years. But its even worse than that. "Bird is not dead; he's hiding out somewhere, and will be back with some new shit that'll scare everybody to death." (Charles Mingus) 4. His work has been described by Leonard Feather in his Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties as an important link between older, half- forgotten styles and the free improvisa- tion of the 60's.. He pronounced the name of the wine at a dead run, and it came out "Poolly-Foos." "We went down to . Playing Mingus music required both exacting attention to detail and a willingness to take chances by boldly moving into uncharted new territory, especially in live performances. These early experiences, in addition to his lifelong confrontations with racism, were reflected in his music, which often focused on themes of racism, discrimination and (in)justice.[7]. Epitaph is one of many major works by Mingus which follows that concept.. He claims to have had more than 31 affairs in the course of his life (including 26 prostitutes in one sitting). He learned to play many instruments eventually . . He could be very volatile and angry, yes, and he would confront audience members who were talking too loudly. Others including saxophonist Charles McPherson, who played in Mingus's band for more than a decade, and Morris Eagle, who promoted Mingus's early concerts, are also on the program that begins . His subjects included racism against Black Americans (Fables of Faubus), the Civil Rights movement (Freedom, Meditations on Integration), the 1971 Attica prison uprising in western New York that resulted in 43 deaths (Remember Rockefeller At Attica) and the fear of nuclear annihilation (Oh Lord, Dont Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb on Me). In 1988, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts[38] made possible the cataloging of Mingus compositions, which were then donated to the Music Division of the New York Public Library[39] for public use. Mingus died in 1979, at 56, from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (perhaps better recognized as Lou Gehrig's disease). In 1971, Mingus taught for a semester at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York as the Slee Professor of Music.[24]. His accomplishments as a bassist, composer and bandleader were so intertwined; its hard to talk about him in just one realm. Bud Powell" as if beseeching Powell's return. Its a 16-second clip of Eddie Jefferson, the jazz vocalist who invented vocalese, from 1977. His range extended from the most gut-stomping barrelhouse blues to the most sophisticated modern music. In 1974, after his 1970 sextet with Charles McPherson, Eddie Preston and Bobby Jones disbanded, he formed a quintet with Richmond, pianist Don Pullen, trumpeter Jack Walrath and saxophonist George Adams. They're experimenting." He had been suffering since 1977 from a. [37] Crawley offers a reading of Mingus that examines the deep imbrication uniting Holiness Pentecostal aesthetic practices and jazz. Reincarnation of a Lovebird is a studio album by the American jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus, recorded in November 1960. His maternal grandfather was a Chinese British subject from Hong Kong, and his maternal grandmother was an African-American from the southern United States. Because of his brilliant writing for midsize ensembles, and his catering to and emphasizing the strengths of the musicians in his groups, Mingus is often considered the heir of Duke Ellington, for whom he expressed great admiration and collaborated on the record Money Jungle. [2] In 1993, the Library of Congress acquired Mingus's collected papersincluding scores, sound recordings, correspondence and photosin what they described as "the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library's history". Emphasis is placed on the ethical demand of the prayer meeting felt and experienced that, according to Crawley, Mingus attempts to capture. He was one of the most talented and underestimated composers in the history of jazz, said Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and University of California San Diego professor Anthony Davis. [32], In addition to bouts of ill temper, Mingus was prone to clinical depression and tended to have brief periods of extreme creative activity intermixed with fairly long stretches of greatly decreased output, such as the five-year period following the death of Eric Dolphy. Ellington, Parker, Thelonious Monk and Jellyroll Morton were some of Mingus most significant jazz inspirations, and he referenced them in his own music. Mingus's compositions continue to be played by contemporary musicians ranging from the repertory bands Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, and Mingus Orchestra, to the high school students who play the charts and compete in the Charles Mingus High School Competition. Its an incredible extended work., Furthermore, Schuller says that stylistically, Epitaph goes well beyond the scope of the typical jazz piece of its day. Wed forgotten that Duke and (Count) Basie came from that stride piano tradition where they played bass (lines on the keyboard) over everything. Im trying to play the truth of what I am. 1978. In all of its dimensions, however you want to measure it, its just an incredibly original, innovative work. They included saxophonists McPherson, Eric Dolphy, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Hamiet Bluiett; pianists Paul Bley, Jaki Byard, Mal Waldron, Horace Parlan and Don Pullen, trumpeters Lonnie Hillyer, Jon Faddis and Jack Walrath; and dozens more. After the final defeat of the Royalists at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, the young Prince Charles fled to France, where he stayed until the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. We collaborated with half Dutch musicians, half American, and Gunther noted how much more accessible the music was to the musicians who were performing it then. In 1961, Mingus spent time staying at the house of his mother's sister (Louise) and her husband, Fess Williams, a clarinetist and saxophonist, in Jamaica, Queens. His rotating cast of musicians were encouraged make that, required to push themselves each night, often playing brand new music that Mingus was just teaching them at the time. Charles Mingus was ready for the world but unfortunately the world wasn't ready for Mingus. Mingus was a revolutionary, drum legend Roach said in a 1993 Union-Tribune interview. Name: Charles Mingus Jr. Profil: American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist. [22] Coles fell ill and left during a European tour. Also during 1959, Mingus recorded the album Blues & Roots, which was released the following year. Often controversial, always entertaining, JazzTimes is a favorite of musicians and fans alike. [3], Charles Mingus was born in Nogales, Arizona. Sign in to continue reading. No, I came to look at the Benny Goodman collection. Then he tells me, Well, we have some Mingus scores in the collection. Charles Mingus - Dimmu Borgir - Metallica - Morbid Angel Porcupine Tree - Gorgoroth - Alcest - Gorod . Considering the number of compositions that Charles Mingus wrote, his works have not been recorded as often as comparable jazz composers. Jazz-savvy hip-hop acts who have sampled Mingus music on their recordings include Gang Starr, 3rd Bass, Jeru The Damaja and Dj Crucial. I had no idea at the time that there was this gigantic piece called Epitaph. Charles Mingus' Death - Cause and Date Born (Birthday) Apr 22, 1922 Death Date January 5, 1979 Age of Death 56 years Cause of Death Heart Attack Profession Bassist The bassist Charles Mingus died at the age of 56. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The guide explained in detail how to get a cat to use a human toilet. [26] Although respected for his musical talents, Mingus was sometimes feared for his occasionally violent onstage temper, which was at times directed at members of his band and other times aimed at the audience. He moved through the trombone and the cello before settling on the bass, which he studied with Red Callender and H. Rheinscha- gen, who had been a member of the New York Philharmonic for five years. https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/09/archives/charles-mingus-56-bass-player-bandleader-and-composer-dead-an.html. If things werent right, he would react with every fiber of his body.. Charles Mingus, one of the leading Jazz bass players, bandleaders and composers of the last 25 years, died Friday of a heart attack in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Some musicians dubbed the workshop a "university" for jazz. And this spring will also see the inauguration of a multi-million-dollar Charles Mingus Junior Arts Center next to the Watts Towers, near where Mingus grew up. [34], Epitaph is considered one of Charles Mingus's masterpieces. He died at the age of 56 in 1979. Bassist and composer Charles Mingus used to be . He would sometimes stop playing and lecture audiences on their behavior, or storm offstage in a rage. Mr. Mingus was 56 years old. Finally recognized toward the end of his life as one of America's most significant composers, Charles Mingus' reputation has only grown since his death in 1979 from the degenerative nerve disease ALS at the age of 56. Charles Mingus, byname Charlie Mingus, (born April 22, 1922, Nogales, Arizona, U.S.died January 5, 1979, Cuernavaca, Mexico), American jazz composer, bassist, bandleader, and pianist whose work, integrating loosely composed passages with improvised solos, both shaped and transcended jazz trends of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. Billows of lush trees buffer the bright, sunny green of the Sheep Meadow, bracketed by the Read More The Many Keys of Fred Hersch, It makes sense to draw parallels between the artfully quiet and thoughtful music of protean Scottish drummer/composer Sebastian Rochford and the gentle conversation he makes Read More Sebastian Rochfords Quiet Diary, America's jazz resource, delivered to your inbox. January 5, 1979 in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico. While Mingus may have left this earthly plane a long time ago, his legacy continues to grow, thanks to the tireless efforts of Sue Mingus. Mr. Mingus had gone to Mexico to seek treatment for his disease. Dizzy Gillespie had once said Mingus reminded him "of a young Duke", citing their shared "organizational genius". Styles. And when I mentioned it to Sue Mingus, she seemed so happy and excited about having that piece played again., As Sue explained, prior to the recent New York premiere of Epitaph: Whats exciting to me about the notion of playing this again all these years later is that now these musicians have been playing Mingus music every week for the last 15 years and theyve got the music in their pores. He once cited Duke Ellington and church as his main influences. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. And, at the same time, he was moving the music forward. Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. The jazz legend Charles Mingus was apparently also a cat owner who hated litter boxes (relatable). Mingus left a legacy composed of genius, vulnerability, brilliance, anarchy, and . The name originated from his desire to document unrecorded young musicians. Mingus often worked with a mid-sized ensemble (around 810 members) of rotating musicians known as the Jazz Workshop. Outside of music, Mingus published a mail-order how-to guide in 1954 called The Charles Mingus CAT-alog for Toilet Training Your Cat. [citation needed][weaselwords] The song has been covered by both jazz and non-jazz artists, such as Jeff Beck, Andy Summers, Eugene Chadbourne, and Bert Jansch and John Renbourn with and without Pentangle. In 1960, he led a quartet that included Eric Dolphy and Ted Curson, and during the 60's he appeared regularly in New York clubs and at the leading national and international Jazz festivals. 2023 Madavor Media, LLC. On May 15, 1953, Mingus joined Dizzy Gillespie, Parker, Bud Powell, and Roach for a concert at Massey Hall in Toronto, which is the last recorded documentation of Gillespie and Parker playing together. He was also one of the first jazz musicians to establish the bass as a solo instrument that in his immensely skilled hands could hold its own alongside any other instrument as a solo voice. Mingus blamed the Parker mythology for a derivative crop of pretenders to Parker's throne. A preco- cious child (his father once ascertained his I.Q. The only Mingus tribute albums recorded during his lifetime were baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams's album, Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus, in 1963, and Joni Mitchell's album Mingus, in 1979. And I could see that Mingus definitely had a plan or a vision that all these scores were of a piece and that they fitted together consecutively. The album also featured the 16-stringed surrogate kithara, the 847-pound marimba eroica and other one-of-a-kind instruments created and built by the late composer Harry Partch. The force of his personality - indeed, his sheer, massive physical presence-was always strong, and his music continually re- flected the venturesomeness of his musi- cal mind. Joni Mitchell sang a version with lyrics that she wrote for it. Just in terms of length, at 2 1/2 hours long it tops everything. And not just for us. Of all his works, his elegy for Lester Young, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (from Mingus Ah Um) has probably had the most recordings. [ -caused the decline of the Carolingian empire following Charlemagne's death. ] Crawley goes on to argue that these visits were the impetus for the song "Wednesday Prayer Meeting". Because Mingus was very knowledgeable and interested in modern classical music-Stravinsky, Bartk and even Schoenberg the great composers of the early part of the 20th century-he incorporated some of their ideas and concepts in this gigantic piece. Charles Mingus Wikipedia Mingus rarely left his pieces alone when he took them on. Explore Charles Mingus's biography, personal life, family and cause of death. His increasing militancy about how musicians in general and black musicians in particular were treated led him to form his own record label, but distribution problems proved crippling. Duke Ellington performed The Clown, with Ellington reading Jean Shepherd's narration. On April 22, 2022, Charles Mingus would have been 100 years old. His compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop, drawing heavily from black gospel music and blues, while sometimes containing elements of Third Stream, free jazz, and classical music. Instead of three trumpets theres six, instead of three trombones theres six trombones, and theres two pianists and two drummers, nine reed instruments and on and on like that. He had a sophisticated ear for music at a very early age, listening to the radio, deeply drawn to jazz, and in particular, his greatest influence, Duke Ellington. He was crowned King on St Geroge's Day, 23 April 1661. While there have been several volumes devoted to Mingus's colorful and tumultuous life, this is the first book in the English language to be devoted fully to his music. She drew up closer, close enough for me to look into her face and I began to wonder, "hadn't I seen her . Already a member? Published since 1970, JazzTimesAmericas Jazz Magazineprovides comprehensive and in-depth coverage of the jazz scene. Weve got an army of musicians who have really absorbed this music, and I think its going be an entirely different experience. He was cremated the next day. Well probably be doing it again next year, adds Sue Mingus. It was nearly three decades ago that the legendary bassist-composer-bandleader Charles Mingus died from a heart attack after a long battle with the terminal nerve illness amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Charles Mingus, one of the leading Jazz bass players, bandleaders and composers of the last 25 years, died Friday of a heart attack in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Much like the man himself, Mingus music could be graceful, sophisticated and imbued with a beguiling sense of melancholia and intense beauty.