Double Bass Mingus is a Monster!

[CaseyVancouver]

Saw Mingus many times. Ran his band aggressively and when it came time for his bass showcase he really delivered.

 

[La Faro]

For what I understand, for all his combative issues, he was really protective of Dolphy, who he had real soft spot for.

Quoting myself here, as I've just realised his son was named Eric Dolphy Mingus.

I heard he took his son double bass shopping and a shop attendent seeing them at the back of the store, said something 'Please if you don't mind Sir, those are some of our finest instrments!" so Mingus grabbed one and played the heck out of it, and shut the man up.

 

[garrett2]

I wonder if Miles' nasty comments about Dolphy on his third blindfold test ( Miles Davis Interviews )were also meant for Mingus.

 

[lurk]

I think every public statement by both Miles and Mingus needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

I wonder if Miles' nasty comments about Dolphy on his third blindfold test ( Miles Davis Interviews )were also meant for Mingus.

I had no idea Miles Davis was so negative about everything. There was barely anything positive in that blindfold test.

 

[garrett2]

Miles was moody, and blindfold test caught him in a very bad mood. It was right before the second quartet and he must have felt that jazz was passing him by. It was the period of high Coltrane, who had left his band -- and who loved Dolphy of course.

 

[Steven Ayres]

Miles was moody, ...

That's a very charitable way of putting it.

 

[gerry grable]

?? Sure about that? I'm not sure that the gut Golden Spirals were available when Haitian Fight Song was recorded. There are lots of other guts strings around and he may have used them later in his career, but the timing just doesn't seem right for that. Could be wrong, of course...

I switched to Golden Spirals from plain guts in the very early 60s. I then went to steel in 64 (?) after I heard Richard Davis on an album. We didn't have the internet and depended on vinyl releases.
Don't know when the Mingus album was recorded.

 

[gerry grable]

For whatever reason I`ve never really got to know Mingus stuff well and deep enough and have been taking it back lately. He was a musician, virtuoso and artist in a very holistic way. I had the priviledge to meet here in Finland the late great trumpetist Ted Curson ( RIP ) who played a lot with Mingus back in the day. Curson had tons of great stories and one detail stuck in my head forever. I don`t remember why, or if that even matters, but Mingus beat Curson up right before a gig once. That`s about how thin that line between genius and madman was.

Jake Byrd told me that Mingus once came at him with a back stage fire axe and he protected himself by holding an old fashioned fire extinguisher from the same wall cabinet horozontally in front of him. He knew it was a ******** threat, however.

 

[gerry grable]

Jake Byrd told me that Mingus once came at him with a back stage fire axe and he protected himself by holding an old fashioned fire extinguisher from the same wall cabinet horozontally in front of him. He knew it was a ******** threat, however.

BTW: the censored was a quote : is bullkaka better?

 

[lurk]

He was my hero in highschool. Had - still have - every LP. Couldn't hear him live till college when I got a fake id. Absolutely loved the first set Everything I had hoped it would be. This was a quintet with Bluett George Adams, Don Pullen, Danny R. In line for the bathroom before the 2nd set, Mingus walked by. My Hero! I said "Mr. Mingus, you've always been a hero to me." He said F..k You."