Friday, November 22, 1996
MUSIC:
Tunes of Charles Mingus to be performed at Wadsworth TheaterBy
Nerissa Pacio
Daily Bruin Contributor
The string bass is often imagined as a large low-pitched
instrument played by a low-profile, beret-wearing personality in
the background of a jazz band. The bass player may have an
occasional solo of a few bars, but the deep heavy sounds are mostly
heard secondarily to the blaring of an upbeat trumpet or wild
improvisations on a baby grand.
However, Charles Mingus, the late virtuoso bass player, pianist,
bandleader and composer, is proof that a bass player is capable of
much more than background beats. In fact, Mingus Big Band, a
repertory band which will perform Saturday at the Wadsworth
Theater, demonstrates that the late composer created a world of
music which still remains fresh and alive today.
Although Mingus died in 1979, his legacy has lived on.
Consisting of some of the finest and most well-known jazz
musicians, Mingus Big Band was started in 1991 by Sue Mingus,
Mingus’ widow.
"After hearing the performance of ‘Epitaph,’ Charles’
masterwork, 10 years after his death, I decided I wanted to hear
his music in a larger context," Sue Mingus says.
She describes her husband’s music as tremendously powerful with
enormous variety. "It covers a wide spectrum of feelings and
emotions, and absorbs a vast array of musical cultures from
European classical, bebop and gospel, to Latin and Indian. He was
both a historian and innovator."
Kenny Burrell, a UCLA professor of Jazz Theory and
Improvisation, agrees with the sentiments of Mingus as an inventor
and player of a unique type of music.
"Charles Mingus was not only one of the most innovative bass
players and important jazz figures of the 20th century, but also a
great writer and arranger who was in the true avant-garde. His
music incorporated social commentary and made key connections to
the American society," Burrell says.
Sue Mingus’ efforts preserved her husband’s music when she
signed a contract for the band to play every Thursday for a month
at New York’s Time Cafe. Audience response to the band has kept
them part of the line-up ever since.
As a large center for jazz activity, New York serves as a rich
pool of accomplished musicians, 100 of whom participate in Mingus
Big Band on a rotating membership basis. Whichever members happen
to be in New York taking a hiatus from touring or performing
concerts participates in the Mingus Big Band shows.
"I don’t feel that the constant rotation of members detracts
from the dynamic of the band," says Sue Mingus. "In fact, it keeps
Charles’ music fresh, unpredictable, and open, which is very much a
part of the spirit of his music."
With five to six players on each instrument, the band has enough
members to have one group touring both Europe and the U.S., while
another group remains stationed in New York for the Thursday
evening performances. The musicians range from those who actually
played or recorded with Mingus in his original band to newcomers
who were not yet born during Mingus’ musical reign.
Mingus Big Band does not seek to completely recreate Mingus’
music but rather to invoke the spirit of his compositions.
"Unlike some repertory bands which remain completely faithful to
the composer’s composition note for note, Mingus Big Band
incorporates the philosophy of jazz, which is to mix the written
notes with spontaneous music," says Sue Mingus.
Some of the pieces are Mingus’ original arrangements, while
others are arrangements of the band members. Despite possible
expectations of the audience about how the music should sound, Sue
Mingus maintains that she has no regrets about establishing such a
group. She is proud to have such talented musicians play his
repertoire which contains the second largest number of compositions
after Duke Ellington.
Sam Dorman, director of UCLA’s May Jazz-Reggae Festival,
appreciates the innovative sounds of Mingus’ music. "The typical
image is the reclusive string bass player. It’s not often you get a
bass player writing harmonically incredible charts," Dorman
says.
Yet, Mingus Big Band has entertained audiences at clubs
nationwide. Although the club crowds tend to be young, the
audiences still include people of all ages, attitudes and
types.
"In fact, many people of different ethnicities come to the
show," says Sue Mingus. "It’s not just Americans, but Europeans
attend as well."
A typical Thursday show consists of two sets in a packed house.
But that is all that can be predicted about the performance because
the choices of the musicians each night tend to be unpredictable.
"The musicians just decide what to play on the spot," says Sue
Mingus.
With two recordings already out, a newly recorded live album to
be released in connection with their upcoming West Coast tour, an
award for ‘Most Outstanding Performance’ at the 1995 Glasgow
International Jazz Festival, a tentative "Mostly Mingus" festival
to celebrate Mingus’ 75th birthday next year, and plans for a
European tour, Mingus Big Band is more than just another repertory
band.
"Mingus Big Band has a huge scope and spectrum of music," says
Sue Mingus. "I just want to give people the chance to still hear
Charles Mingus’ music played live by some of the best musicians in
jazz."
CONCERT: The Mingus Big Band concert takes place Saturday, Nov.
23, at 7 p.m. at Veterans Wadsworth Theater. TIX: $28, $25, $9
students. For more info call 825-2101.
UCLA Center for the Performing Arts
The Mingus Big Band celebrates the music of the great composer
and bassist Charles Mingus at the Veterans Wadsworth Theater.
Mingus Big Band does not seek to … recreate Mingus’ music but
… to invoke the spirit of his compositions.