Customer Reviews

Mingus: A Critical Biography (Da Capo Paperback)

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This is a slightly disappointing, but still very good biography of one of the greatest jazz composers and probably its top bassist. Mingus, using a mixture of jazz, blues, church music, European impressionism and march music, and folk, wrote some of the most outstanding music of the 20th century. A man of wide-ranging, complicated emotions, lionesque appetites, and varied intellectual and creative pursuits, this titan of modern music is a fascinating biographical subject.

However, Brian Priestley does not capture the full measure of the man and his music. I'm not sure what the subtitle "A Critical Biography" is meant to convey, but there is not enough musical criticism. Particularly in the second half of the book, Priestley resorts to an "and then he wrote" approach, painstakingly detailing every new composition or derivative, and every new musician in the ever-changing Mingus ensemble. There is musical analysis, but often it is more technical than critical. Referring to a song on "East Coasting" Priestley writes, "it incorporates passages of G minor twelve-bar blues only slightly different from the opening of `Eulogy' (Im/bVImaj\bII7\V7 instead of Im|bVImaj7\IIm7b5\v7)." The first part of this sentence is the more revealing: "It is a tribute to Mingus' maturing methodology that ideas are shown to be capable of repetition and rearrangement."

This does not go far enough, though. Why did Mingus "cross-breed" so many of his works, as Priestley notes but never really examines. The reasons (aesthetic, psychological--practical in the case of "Slop") for the similarities among some works (e.g., "Better Get Hit Into Yo Soul", "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting", "Slop," and other compositions is never really explored. Were Mingus' edits across versions and his reworking of similar themes an attempt to forge a new "traditional" folk music within a mere two decades? (Perhaps this hypothesis is off, but I would have preferred that Priestley write a more encompassing analysis of both the whole of Mingus' work and its constituent parts.)

Conversely, we may praise the author for not indulging in psycho-biography, for including extensive well-documented quotes from Mingus as well as other musicians, and for describing enough on-stage Mingus behavior to get a sense of his personality. One might want to read the excellent though brief "Mingus/Mingus: Two Memoirs" for a better look at the offstage Mingus and his relationships with non-musicians.

The strength of the book is the extensive documentation of the entire Mingus discography, the ever shifting lineups, and both the recorded and non-recorded performances. This must have been a labor of love, as Priestley gives the definitive record of Mingus' output and how the performances map onto the different albums. The appendices include musical notations of ten (!) bass excerpts, a second-by-second structural analysis of "The Black Saint...,"and notes to all citations in the book. This is invaluable for the Mingus fan.

Priestley's writing can be awkward, "She it was who wrote....," and strained "Any minimally serious astrological guide will describe the typical Taurean as having outsized physical appetites; what is perhaps even more relevant to Mingus is the ability to treat extramarital affairs (like the ice-cream [sic] of which he was so fond) as a dessert complementing, but in no way threatening, any long-established relationship."

Despite the reservations noted above, I can recommend this book as a comprehensive resource for Mingus fans. It also includes enough personal information and sympathy (through interview excerpts with Mingus and others) that one begins to appreciate his complexities. There are a few clues to his Joycean autobiography, "Beneath the Underdog," and one gets a good sense of the racial tensions and injustices battled by Mingus. Finally, judging from the reviews of the other major Mingus biography, "Myself When I Am Real," this is the best book currently available. It will be enhanced, however, if read with the aforementioned autobiography (as perplexing as it is) and "Mingus/Mingus," as well as the brief but excellent critiques in "The Penguin Guide to Jazz." Includes 25 black and white photos, notes, appendices, and an extensive index.

The reviewer from LA makes this book sound like a cheesy celebrity bio. Nothing could be further from the truth. Priestly has written a carefully detailed history of Mingus's musical life. There's an effort to make sense out of Mingus's wild autobiography Beneath the Underdog, and his personal life is discussed, as it should be, but Mingus's accomlishments and his place in jazz history are the main focus of this book. This is a first rate jazz biography.

Priestley does a good job at giving us an overview of Mingus the musician, that is, who he played with, where he played and when. However, like Beneath the Underdog, the book concentrates too much on the personal and not enough on the music. I was looking for a more critical review of Mingus's compositions and his role as one of the most influential and under appreciated musician of our time, but it seems that Mingus's persona will always overshadow his contributions. On a good note, Priestley's discography is extremely thorough which has made it a constant reference in my house. Finally, the writing is a bit dry which may make it a tough read for the casual jazz fan.

What do you want from this Charles Mingus biography?

1. A depiction of Mingus the man, including a psychological and/or anecdotal interpretation of his character?

There's not a lot of that here. Although I will say that this falls into the category of what I call "John Bonham Biographies", named for the Led Zeppelin drummer who came off as a manic-depressive Jekyl and Hyde in the book "Hammer of the Gods". Another good example of this is humourist Michael O'Donoghue in Dennis Perrin's bio "Mr. Mike". Mingus, in Priestley's hands, is an extreme man. He is either a soulful genius, or a tyrannical, violent, out-of-control maniac. It always strikes me as a road too easily traveled by the biographer, and is thus distracting.

2. A theoretical explanation of Mingus' music, with the intent of illustrating why he casts such a powerful shadow over the jazz world (as unparalleled bassist *and* composer)?

There's oodles of that here. Unfortunately, it leaves very little room for the layman to join the party. At times the book reads like an advanced textbook on modern jazz theory. I guess I should have taken the title of the book -- "A Critical Biography" -- a little more seriously. Also, there are references made to Mingus quoting other songs within his own, which further baffled me, as it would anyone but the most knowledgeable jazz historian. And when he tries to determine Mingus' place in music history, Priestley isn't afraid to let the hyperbole fly. Like when he implies that rock `n' roll is an indirect descendant from a relationship between Alexis Korner and Mingus in London. Or an attempt to elevate Mingus' jazz as an artform, when compared to the vacuous pop of the mid-1960s, which lacks credibility because the vacuous being compared to is the (relatively) sophisticated music of the Beatles! Or an absurd claim that a disastrous concert Mingus put on at the Town Hall in New York "caused more fallout than the almost simultaneous Cuban Missile Crisis"! These and other arguments are handled sloppily at best, and do a disservice to Mingus himself.

3. An explanation/refutation of Mingus' fantastic semi-autobiography "Beneath the Underdog"?

You're in luck, because at times it feels like Priestley has a copy of Mingus' book beside him as he writes, ticking off fact after fact as it is corrected or explained here. Which might have been helpful had I read "Beneath the Underdog", but I haven't. And now don't need to. He should have just published a version of "The Annotated Beneath the Underdog", and left the biography writing to someone else with an original sense of narrative.

So just be sure you know what your goals are when confronting this work. Jazzheads and Mingus-freaks, you're welcome to join the party. Casual jazz fans and Mingus admirers (of which I am one), step lightly. Fans of biography, do yourself a favour and pass on by. Oh, and I almost forgot. This book has the tackiest, creepiest, and most irresponsible closing line of any book I have ever read. I just hope that Dannie Richmond (drummer and frequent Mingus band member) hasn't seen it.

I have been a Mingus junkie since 1960. I have seen the man in person a few times. I have not changed my opinion: Mingus is one of the great artists of 20th Century American music, and the greatest artist that jazz has produced. At least in my opinion.
I have studied Mingus in depth, and Priestly has given me a huge amount of information that has added to my knowledge of Mingus and his music.
An example of how helpful this book can be is that I wrote a review on Amazon of the fairly recent Mingus CD called "Complete 1961-1962 Birdland Broadcasts." Another reader asked me about some of the compositions on that recording versus another one he owned. I was able to answer his question because of the detailed information in this book.
This book is not just a detailed discography, it is also offers in-depth biographical details of Mingus at the time the recordings were being made.
An essential book for anyone interested in Mingus.

This is a well structured and in depth written piece of work. The extreme research and interviews that has been done on Charles Mingus is evident here. Priestley covers the many ensembles that Mingus had, along with recordings, stories and a very extensive discography. The book also contains some rare photo's and goes into detail about his relationship with Sue Graham (Mingus). There is an abundance of information from his right hand man, the great drummer Dannie Richmond. All in all I really enjoyed this book from cover to cover and do highly recommend it to any Mingus and jazz fan. It is a splendid read. I intend to read (Beneath The Underdog) and fully realize that it is a no holds barred piece of work and to be read as a piece of art literature in itself. I am also ready the Sue Graham Mingus book on their relationship titled (Tonight At Noon) published by Da Capo Press. I would firstly recommend this book (Mingus, A Critical Biography) by Brian Priestley as a solid foundational starting point. Grab it, you won't get a reader's cramp with this one.

In slightly under 230 pages, author Brian Priestley attempts to cover the life of Charles Mingus in a biography, discography and musicography. Without the proper focus, the book fails on all counts.

I blame the publisher for a work that attempts to deliver so much, but does not have the number of words to make it work. I also strongly feel the editor failed miserably for not making critical calls as the book began to take shape.

The major point of interest is a listing of major recordings that Mingus accomplished in his vast career. But when the highlight is a part of the appendix, it speaks loudly about the text!

Mingus: A Critical Biography is hardly a definitive work on the oftentimes controversial life of the musical genius. I cannot even recommend it as a primer since those looking for an in-depth exploration on any of the three categories mentioned above will be sorely disappointed.