Charles Mingus – Bass

I wanted to put this one up here because it is relatively easy to play but is a beautiful piece. It doesn’t have to be difficult to be musical, interesting and emotionally satisfying. Mingus doesn’t really get spoken about as a bass player in the way that some of his contemporaries were and are but his work as a composer is lauded by many. He wrote some stunning music during his career and played with everyone from Parker, Gillespie, Monk, Ellington, Brecker, Scofield, Miles, Eric Dolphy – all the greats, basically.

This is the tune ‘Self Portrait In Three Colors’ from the 1959 album, ‘Mingus Ah Um’. A must have album for anyone who is serious about Jazz or double bass. I have to admit there there are a couple of notes I am not sure about (the quality of the recording is not brilliant, bass-wise). If you disagree, you are probably right!