This catalogue is the first attempt to order Mingus' compositions and arrangements, issued and unissued, made between 1942 and 1949, in chronological order. The numbers after the title refer to the Mingus microfilm collection of manuscripts at New York Public Library (edited by Andrew Homzy and Francine Dupuis, 1984). The first number refers to the reel, the second to the position in it (in microfilms titles are listed in alphabetical order). "Blue Team lead" refers to poor lead sheets (few bars of melody, with no chords), intended for publication by an italian publisher, Blue Team.
After title and microfilm number, follow composer, name of the group, label and date of the first recording. When the case, all the known recordings with alternate titles are listed.
Composition dates come from reserach on sources and stylistic analysis; sometimes they coincide with recordings; sometimes they are hypothetical. Dates of tunes recorded many years after composition are sometimes approximate.
Works composed or arranged in ther same year are listed in recording chronological order; those composed in the same year but recorded in different years are listed in alphabetical order; the order in the same recording session is alphabetical.
Comments, corrections and additions are welcome.
Compositions |
|
| 1942? or 1946 |
This Subdues My Passion (Subdued Passion , 7, 255; Subdued Passion Epitaph 1938-1940 , 7, 256), Baron Mingus and his Octet, 4Star 6/5/46. |
| 1944? | Paris In Blue (Jackie's Blues) (6, 207), Charles Mingus Quintet, Debut 9/16/52. |
| 1944-45 | Love's Fury (5, 159) (words by Charles Mingus and Jeanne Gross), unissued. |
| 1945 | Deep Meditation, Howard McGhee and his Combo, Modern Music, 5/45. |
| Baby, Take A Chance With Me (5, 146, lead Blue Team), Charles Mingus Sextet, Excelsior c. 6/45; Charles Mingus Sextette, Excelsior 1/46; (as Honey, Take A Chance With Me), Baron Mingus and his Octet, 4 Star 6/5/46. The unknown composition in manuscript 1, 10 is wrongly credited as Baby, Take A Chance With Me . See Lonesome Woman Blues . | |
| Lonesome Woman Blues (1, 10; 5, 146, lead Blue Team), Charles Mingus Sextet, Excelsior c. 6/45. The manuscript 1, 10, unknown composition credited as Baby, Take A Chance Of Me , is actually an alternate and unissued arrangement of Lonesome Woman Blues . | |
| Swinging An Echo (7, 261), Charles Mingus Sextet, Excelsior c. 6/45. | |
| The Texas Hop, Charles Mingus Sextet, Excelsior c. 6/45. | |
| Beggin' Mama Blues (con Wilbert Baranco), Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson and his All Stars, Apollo 12/12/45. | |
| Pacific Coast Blues (con Wilbert Baranco), Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson and his All Stars, Apollo 12/13/45. | |
| Note: The unknown composition in manuscript 1, 10 is wrongly credited by Homzy and Dupuis as Baby, Take A Chance With Me . Actually it is an alternate arrangement of Lonesome Woman Blues . | |
| 1945-46 | 12 Alder Place (8, 276), unissued. |
| 1946 | Ain't Jivin' Blues (5, 146, lead Blue Team), Charles Mingus Sextette, Excelsior 1/46. |
| Shuffle Bass Boogie (5, 153), Charles Mingus Sextette, Excelsior 1/46. | |
| Weird Nightmare (9, 295-296), Charles Mingus Sextette, Excelsior 1/46; (as Pipe Dream) Lady Will Carr (Billy Strayhorn?) with Baron Mingus and his Octet, 4 Star 5/6/46; (as Smooch) Miles Davis, Prestige 5/19/53; Langston Hughes with the Horace Parlan Quintet, MGM 3/18/58; (8, 294) Charles Mingus, Mercury 5/25/60; (as Vassarlean) Charles Mingus, Candid 10/20/60; Charles Mingus Orchestra, unissued 7/4/72 (Philharmonic Hall). | |
| Make Believe (5, 162), Baron Mingus and his Octet, 4 Star 5/6/46. See But You . Different composition from Make Believe (5, 152 [Portrait]; 5, 161), Charles Mingus Quintet, Debut 9/16/52. | |
| What Love (9, 298), Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop, Atlantic 7/13/60; Charles Mingus, Candid 20/10/60. | |
| Note: Bedspread, 4Star, 5/6/46, is credited on the label to Baron Mingus, but the listening evidence do not confirm the credit: this is possibily a Buddy Collette composition. Further research is in progress. | |
| 1946? | But You (2, 28), unissued. Same composition of Make Believe (5, 162). |
| Note: There are three different Make Believe: 5, 152 is an alternate version of Portrait; 5, 161 is the Make Believe recorded in 1952; 5, 162 is a different Make Believe, the one recorded in 1946; this last one is the same as But You, 2, 28. | |
| According to Priestley, Getting Together, Charles Mingus Sextet, Savoy 10/31/54 could have been composed in this period. | |
| late 1946 | Portrait (as God's Portrait) (5, 152; 6, 217-221) Charles "Baron" Mingus Presents his Symphonic Airs, Fentone c. 1/49; Charles Mingus Quintet, Debut 4/12/52; Charles Mingus, inedito 10/12/62 (Town Hall); (as Old Portrait, Impulse 7/30/63 (Mingus at piano); (as Old Portrait), Charles Mingus, JWS 5/13/65; Charles Mingus, soundtrack 11/66 (from the movie Mingus by Tom Reichman); Charles Mingus and the New Herd, Columbia 1/14/71; Charles Mingus Orchestra, priv. rec. 4/17/72 (Village Vanguard). |
| Note: The 78 r.p.m. record with Ashby De La Zouch e Love On A Greyhound Bus, Baron Mingus and his Octet, 4 Star 4/26(?)/46, is lost, but Love On A Greyhound Bus isn't surely a Mingus composition: it has lyrics by Kay Thompson and Ralph Blaine and music by Georgie Stoll and Kay Thompson, and it has been recorded by Guy Lombardo on 27 August 1945 for the soundtrack of the 1946 film No Leave, No Love; while Ashby De La Zouch was recorded by Merry Macs, Decca 9/45 and isn't very probably a Mingus composition. | |
| 1946-48 | Bemoanable Lady (1, 11), Charles Mingus, Mercury 5/24/60. |
| 1947 | Mingus Fingers (Harris+Mingus Fingers 4, 121; 5, 171) (wrongly co-credited to Lionel Hampton and Curly Hamner) Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra, Decca 11/10/47; Baron Mingus and his Rhythm, Dolphins of Hollywood spring '49; (as Mingus Fingus No. 2), Charles Mingus, Mercury 5/24/60. |
| Zoo-bab-da-oo-ee (composed with Lionel Hampton), Lionel Hampton and his Sextet, Decca 11/14/47. | |
| 1948 | Eclipse (3, 67-70) Charles Mingus Octet, Debut 10/27/53; Charles Mingus, Mercury 5/25/60; Charles Mingus, Columbia 2/4/72. |
| 1949 | Lyon's Roar, Baron Mingus and his Rhythm, Fentone c. 1/49 |
| Story Of Love, Charles "Baron"; Mingus Presents his Symphonic Airs, Fentone c. 1/49; Charles Mingus, Rex Hollywood, spring '49. | |
| Inspiration, Charles Mingus and his 22 Piece Bebop Band, Rex Hollywood, spring '49. | |
| Boppin' In Boston (5, 1465, Blue Team), Charles Mingus, Dolphins Of Hollywood primavera '49. | |
| Moods In Mambo (Epitaph 3, 78), orchestra conducted by Gunther Schuller, Columbia 3/6/89. | |
| Note: The record with Inspiration, Rex Hollywood, spring '49, has been found, but not yet issued: probably it is a different arrangement of Portrait. | |
| 1942-49? | Note: the crediting to this period of the following, never recorded tunes but in manuscripts is made according to several proofs: the same personnel (alto, tenor and baritone saxes, two trumpets, trombone, rhythm section with guitar); instrumental music as background for vocal lines; the writing on music paper sold in California; the same music paper trademark on all manuscripts, included those of the tunes recorded in this period; the musical style; notes on the scores (names of musicians, etc.). |
| Enchantment (3, 71), John Doe (5, 142), Make Me Know It (5, 163-164), Our Last Kiss (6, 206), Tom's Take Over (8, 273), unissued. | |
Arrangements |
|
| 1945 | Stormy Mood, Bob Mosley and his All Stars, Beltone 11/45. |
| Wise Woman Blues (Henry), Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson and his All Stars, Apollo 12/10/45. | |
| Walking Blues (Lowe), Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson and his All Stars, Apollo 12/10/45. | |
| Rich Man's Blues (Lowe), Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson and his All Stars, Apollo 12/12/45. | |
| Mellow Mama Blues (Robinson), Dinah Washington with Lucky Thompson and his All Stars, Apollo 12/13/45. | |
| 1945-46 | The Man I Love (Gershwin, G. & I.) (5, 165), unissued. |
| 1946 | Do Nothing 'Till You Hear From Me/I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart (Russell/Ellington - Ellington/Mills/Redmond/Nemo), Charles Mingus, Mercury 5/25/60. |
| Take The "A" Train/Exactly Like You (Strayhorn-McHugh/Fields), Charles Mingus, Mercury 5/25/60. | |
| Note: Tea For Two (Youmans/Caesar) with interpolation of Perdido (Tizol/Langsfelder/Drake), Charles Mingus Sextet, Savoy 10/31/54, could have been arranged in this period. | |
| 1948 | Body And Soul (Green/Heyman/Sour/Eyton), Lionel Hampton and his Orchestra, broadcast, 8/4/48; as The Soul, orchestra conducted by Gunther Schuller, Columbia 6/3/89. |
| 1949 | He's Gone (Manza-Stevens), Charles Mingus Presents his Symphonic Airs, Fentone c. 1/49. |
| Pennies From Heaven (Burke/Johnston), Baron Mingus and his Rhythm, Fentone c. 1/49. | |
| Say It Isn't So (Berlin), Charles Mingus, Dolphins Of Hollywood spring '49. | |
| These Foolish Things (Marvell/Strachey/Link), Charles Mingus, Dolphins Of Hollywood spring '49. | |