Photo: Tom Marcello Webster, New York, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Charles Mingus stands, for me, in a league entirely his own. Bassist, composer, bandleader and pianist, born in Nogales, Arizona, he belongs beside Ellington and Parker not as a follower but as a force. A champion of collective improvisation, he spent three decades tearing open what jazz could be, and his Grammy Hall of Fame inductions and lifetime achievement honors feel almost like understatement. What grips me is the raw emotional weather of his music, rage and tenderness packed into the same bar. He died in 1979, yet his sound still thrashes and breathes like a living thing I expect to spend a lifetime exploring.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Charles Mingus
- Name (Japanese)
- チャールズ・ミンガス
- Reading
- ちゃーるず・みんがす
- Born
- April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Dog
- Origin
- Nogales, Arizona, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- pianist / composer / bandleader / conductor / jazz musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Jordan High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1971 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1997 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1994 Grammy Hall of Fame
- 1996 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame
- 2013 Grammy Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Charles Mingus born?
April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979.
Where is Charles Mingus from?
Charles Mingus is from Nogales, Arizona, United States.
What does Charles Mingus do?
Charles Mingus works as pianist, composer, bandleader, conductor, jazz musician.
Pianist — see all → · Composer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.