Charles Mingus

Written in a fast 3/4, this gospel-inspired burner is as fun to play as it is to listen to. There is great interplay between sections of the band as layers of sound move in and out. Also included are...

This up-tempo swinger has become the signature tune for the Mingus Big Band. It opens with a free-wheeling baritone sax solo and features raucous ensemble passages and group improvisations. You won't...

Here's a playable yet very effective arrangement of this signature Mingus composition. The familiar bari sax riff is handled by three saxes, and there is also a substantial soli for the entire sax sec...

This is probably Charles Mingus' best-known composition. Sy Johnson's updated chart is the authentic version as performed by the Mingus Big Band on the CD Blues and Politics.

From the Mingus Big Band CD Live In Time, this is one of the most creative charts in the band's book. Don't be fooled by the apparent normal sounds at the beginning, as this multi-styled production nu...

This medium tempo swing chart is the lead-off cut from the CD Mingus Big Band 93. Featured is a distinctive melody, a stop-time solo section, and a great swing groove throughout.

The opening cut from the Mingus Big Band CD Gunslinging Birds is this raucous and blistering jazz waltz. Mingus wrote this piece as a tribute to Charlie Bird Parker with the subtitle If Charlie Parker...

Recorded on the Grammy-nominated CD I Am Three by the Mingus Big Band, this composition was originally written by Mingus for a 1959 television drama. Arranged here for the Mingus Big Band by the late...

This recent adaptation by bassist Boris Kozlov presents the marvelous Mingus composition in a rich setting containing a variety of musical styles. Opening in a quasi-classical style, the piece quickly...

Titled in honor of Charles Mingus' good friend and mentor Oscar Pettiford, this swing chart opens with the two tenors, followed by all the saxes, and finally the entire ensemble. Whether you play this...

Swinging at around 144 BPM, this jazz standard has superb suggested (written) solos for tenor and trumpet, accessible brass ranges, nice solis, and interludes. Just what you need for your concert! (4:...

The unique genius and originality of Charles Mingus is nowhere more apparent than in this symphonic masterpiece adapted for big band by Sy Johnson. Involving no improvisation but rather a series of th...

Medium 2-beat Dixieland, includes an optional snare drum (or wash-board) part. Medium

Opening with a shuffle vamp with layers of riffs being added as the intensity builds, this powerhouse arrangement from the acclaimed CD I Am Three blossoms into a full-grown flat-out shout!

Charles Mingus' distinctive take on the classic Ellingtonian ballad style provides a beautiful showcase for a variety of soloists, as well as lush full ensemble scoring. Also included is an optional s...

Here is a beautiful arrangement of Charles Mingus' signature ballad, featuring altos and trumpets playing the melody off the top, then later joined by the entire ensemble. Sample written solos are pro...

Charles Mingus' distinctive take on the classic Ellingtonian ballad style provides a beautiful showcase for a variety of soloists, as well as lush full ensemble scoring. Also included is an optional s...

Charles Mingus' distinctive take on the classic Ellingtonian ballad style provides a beautiful showcase for a variety of soloists, as well as lush full ensemble scoring. Also included is an optional s...

Le paysage sonore de cette ballade pour ténor sur un air classique de Mingus est libre et plein d'âme. Le ténor solo fournit une introduction, suivie par l'ensemble luxuriant avec une suggestion de so...

The sonic landscape of this tenor ballad on a classic Mingus tune is free and soulful. The solo tenor provides an introduction, followed by the lush ensemble with a suggested written tenor solo. Lead...

The sonic landscape of this tenor ballad on a classic Mingus tune is free and soulful. The solo tenor provides an introduction, followed by the lush ensemble with a suggested written tenor solo. Lead...

Originally written for the 1959 John Cassavetes film Shadows, Nostalgia in Times Square is a medium tempo blues but with a unique harmonic structure. Beautifully scored for younger ensembles by Sy Joh...