It would be no exaggeration to call Charles Mingus the greatest bass player in the history of jazz; indeed, some might even regard it as understatement, for the hurricane power of his work as a composer, teacher, band leader, and iconoclast reached far beyond jazz while remaining true to its heritage in the music of Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Thelonious Monk. In this new biography Brian Priestley has written a masterly study of Mingus's dynamic career from the early years in Swing, to the escapades of the Bebop era, through his musical maturity in the '50s when he directed a band...
It would be no exaggeration to call Charles Mingus the greatest bass player in the history of jazz; indeed, some might even regard it as understatemen...
Charlie Parker was one of the influential musicians in jazz, and was the main architect of the jazz revolution of the 1940s. Addicted to drugs and alcohol, and with a tangled private life, he died young. This biography of Charlie Parker provides a discussi
Charlie Parker was one of the influential musicians in jazz, and was the main architect of the jazz revolution of the 1940s. Addicted to drugs and alc...
