Unidentified Artist
Description
Born Nogales, ArizonaJazz musician, composer, and bandleader Charles Mingus grew up in Los Angeles. A virtuoso on the bass, he elevated it from a strictly rhythmic instrument to a melodic, solo presence. At age twenty he toured with Louis Armstrong, and in 1951 he moved to New York City, playing with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and Duke Ellington. The next year he cofounded the Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop, where his compositional skills flourished with sketches and chords he gave musicians to explore, letting the main melody emerge from their improvisation. From the mid-1950s on he recorded many outstanding albums, his favorite being Tijuana Moods (1962). His life was cut short by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease).In 1953 Time magazine named Uruguayan-born Antonio Frasconi “the foremost U.S. woodcut artist.” His command of the medium is visible here in the alternation of flat and voluminous shapes, from the bass to Mingus’s face and hair.Nacido en Nogales, ArizonaEl músico, compositor y director de jazz Charles Mingus creció en Los Angeles. Intérprete consumado del contrabajo, liberó al instrumento de su papel estrictamente rítmico para darle presencia melódica como solista. A la edad de veinte años ya estaba de gira con Louis Armstrong y en 1951 se estableció en New York, donde tuvo ocasión de tocar junto a Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach y Duke Ellington. Al año siguiente cofundó el Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop y sus habilidades compositivas se hicieron evidentes en los sketches y acordes...
Image
Woodcut On Paper
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
