Mingus: Charlie Mingus (1968) (Sounds of surprise - documentary)

Mingus: Charlie Mingus (1968) / Sounds of surprise (Channel 4 - 1987). Documentary starts at 01:25. Some footage at the beginnning is missing.
A close-up of bass player and composer Charlie Mingus as he and his five-year-old daughter await eviction by the City of New York.
"Tuesday, November 22nd, 1966, jazz musician Charlie Mingus waited with his five-year-old daughter Carolyn, to be evicted from his studio at 22 Great Jones Street, New York. Mingus had planned to open a music school and jazz workshop at this Lower East Side loft, but he had been frustrated in his intentions and had fallen behind in the rent. As he waited for the NYPD and the Sanitation Department to arrive and remove his belongings, filmmaker Thomas Reichman recorded an intimate portrait of one of the jazz music’s greatest composers and performers. In the film, Mingus is seen moving distractedly amongst his boxed possessions, showing great affection for his daughter, recalling happier times living on Fifth Avenue, and acknowledging the inherent racism in America by offering his own Pledge of Allegiance...."
(charlesmingus.com).
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 - January 5, 1979), often referred to mononymously as "Mingus", and occasionally as “Baron Mingus”, was an American jazz double bassist, pianist, composer and bandleader. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians and composers in history, with a career spanning three decades and collaborations with other jazz musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock.
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. In 1993, the Library of Congress acquired Mingus's collected papers-including scores, sound recordings, correspondence and photos-in what they described as "the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library's history".
In 1966, Mingus was evicted from his apartment at 5 Great Jones Street in New York City for nonpayment of rent, captured in the 1968 documentary film Mingus: Charlie Mingus 1968, directed by Thomas Reichman. 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.
By the mid-1970s, Mingus was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). His once formidable bass technique declined until he could no longer play the instrument. He continued composing, however, and supervised a number of recordings before his death. At the time of his death, he was working with Joni Mitchell on an album eventually titled Mingus, which included lyrics added by Mitchell to his compositions, including "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat". The album featured the talents of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and another influential bassist and composer, Jaco Pastorius.
Mingus died, aged 56, in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he had traveled for treatment and convalescence. His ashes were scattered in the Ganges River.
(Wikipedia).

[@TheToocold]

I am obsessed with Mingus.

[@vasimedley7759]

Thank you for uploading this.

[@KeithCopeland778]

Fascinating and sad!! A man of his stature and his young daughter getting filmed before eviction. Charles Mingus was one of the most gifted, creative, intelligent, magnetic, and boldest musicians, composers, and authors in jazz history!!!!

[@bindugross5615]

❤

[@scottlukert5287]

@@bindugross5615 Solid

[@kailashmehta8671]

If possible, some full live Concerts, of Charles Mingus.

[@danielhabiger7512]

A- Gun!!😽