Better Git It in Your Soul: An Interpretive Biography of Charles Mingus

334 Pages·2016·3.431 MB·English

by  Krin Gabbard

ROTH FAMILY FOUNDATION
mUSIC IN aMERICA iMPRINT
Michael P. Roth
and Sukey Garcetti
have endowed this
imprint to honor the
memory of their parents
Julia and Harry Roth,
whose deep love of music
they wish to share
with others.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support
of the Music in America Endowment Fund of the University
of California Press Foundation, which was established by a
major gift from Sukey and Gil Garcetti, Michael P. Roth, and
the Roth Family Foundation.
BETTER GIT IT IN YOUR SOUL
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Better Git It in Your Soul
An Interpretive Biography of Charles Mingus
KRIN GABBARD
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university
presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by
advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural
sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by
philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more
information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
©2016 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gabbard, Krin, author.
Better git it in your soul : an interpretive biography of Charles
Mingus / Krin Gabbard.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn978-0-520-26037-5(cloth : alk. paper)
isbn978-0-520-96374-0 (ebook)
1. Mingus, Charles, 1922–1979. 2. Jazz musicians—United
States—Biography. 3. Double bassists—United States—Biography.
I. Title.
ml418.m45g33 2016
781.65092—dc23
[B]
2015031907
Manufactured in the United States of America
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support environmentally responsible
and sustainable printing practices, UC Press has printed this book on
Natures Natural, a fiber that contains 30% post-consumer waste and
meets the minimum requirements of ansi/nisoz39.48-1992 (r1997)
(Permanence of Paper).
For more Mingus Mondays
And as always, for Paula, who may even love
this music as much as I do
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Contents
INTRODUCTION. Charles Mingus Changed My Life 1
PART I. A Circus in a Bathtub 11
PART II. Poet, Lyricist, Autobiographer 113
PART III. Third Stream Music and the Rest of Jazz History 159
PART IV. On and Off the Bandstand with Richmond, Dolphy, and Knepper 201
EPILOGUE. Mingus in the Movies 235
Acknowledgments 247
Discography 251
Notes 255
Bibliography 285
Index 297