Charles Mingus

I always wanted to

I always wanted to be a spontaneous composer. Charles Mingus

In high school I

In high school I was on the basketball team, but the coach did something I didn’t dig and the next day he looked up and saw me practising with the football team. Charles Mingus

I was born swinging

I was born swinging and clapped my hands in church as a little boy, but I’ve grown up and I like to do things other than just swing. But blues can do more than just swing. Charles Mingus

What do you think

What do you think happens to a composer who is sincere and loves to write and has to wait thirty years to have someone play a piece of his music? Charles Mingus

Tastes are created by

Tastes are created by the business interests. How else can you explain the popularity of Al Hirt? Charles Mingus

Most of the soloists

Most of the soloists at Birdland had to wait for Parker’s next record in order to find out what to play next. What will they do now? Charles Mingus

Let my children have

Let my children have music! Let them hear live music. Charles Mingus

Making the simple complicated

Making the simple complicated is commonplace. Charles Mingus

Most customers, by the

Most customers, by the time the musicians reach the second set, are to some extent inebriated. They don’t care what you play anyway. Charles Mingus

I’m too busy playing. When I’m playing I don’t pay attention to who’s listening. When I was listening I listened to symphony orchestras, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, Stravinsky. You don’t listen to one instrument; you listen to music. Charles Mingus