Happy Birthday, Sue! Here's a remembrance of Sue Mingus from Randy Brecker

Mingus Dynasty, seems to be from 1988 “Mingus' Sounds of Love” recording session: James Newton, Roland Hanna, Craig Handy, Jimmy Knepper, Randy Brecker, Reggie Johnson (corrections welcome!)

As read at the Sue’s memorial 10-29-22:

Although I might have not seen her in that light at first, Sue was the first real feminist I had ever met and worked with. She was totally in charge, and wouldn't take any b.s. from anyone. When Jimmy Knepper introduced the Mingus Dynasty as the "Mingus Necrophiliac Band" at the Montreux Jazz Fest early on in the Dynasty history, she let him have it...and we didn’t see Knepper for a long time. Especially after an avid journalist asked him backstage "what was the inspiration behind the Dynasty" and Knepper responded: "Mrs Mingus like to Travel!!" (He only called her "Mrs. Mingus”) These are the kind of things Sue had to contend with.

She was also a fast learner...I remember being at a mixing session for one of the first Mingus Big Band Recording and she asked me if this was "the mix'“... and from there she learned how to produce recordings... she always had ideas that Mingus had harbored in his brain, some worked, some didn’t, but she'd try anything to get his ideas to come to fruition on the bandstand.

She just was, if I'm allowed to still say it: 'A Hip Chick'! Once crossing the border into Czechoslovakia during the Communist era, me, Sue, and Mike Richmond got stuck at the border in the back seat of a car since some papers weren’t right. We all had had a little too much to drink, it was after a gig, and Sue couldn’t get over the fact that this was a real "Disorder at the Border" bringing up Coleman Hawkins’ tune of the same name, she thought it was hysterical...she just kept saying over and over It's "Disorder at the Border”, It's “Disorder at the Border!" How many ladies  (like 30 years ago), would have referenced that tune, and seen the irony in our plight?

One of my last lingering memories of her was that New Years Eve night at Jazz Standard where we had rehearsed down to the minute so our great friend the late Michael Bourne could jump onstage and count down 10 seconds to the New Year...it was a Nationwide NPR Radio Broadcast... getting  close to midnight, Dave Kikoski got carried away in one of his solos, and took an extra chorus. Through the crowd, around the bandstand up walked Sue, a bit loaded with her party hat all askew yelling: "STOP STOP!"….the bass and drums (Boris and Donald) stopped.... but Kikoski kept blowing, and Sue strode over to the piano towering over him and yelling one more time loudly STOP!! (Which he abruptly did), and Michael shouted out the quickest count-down to midnight in history.

Pure Sue all the way. She was quite a lady...and Mingus’ Music will live forever as testament to the great love they had for each other....

Randy Brecker 10/25/22

Incidentally, that New Year’s Eve broadcast became the Grammy-winning Live at Jazz Standard.

Here is a leisurely interview with Sue Mingus in 2014, on tour with Mingus Big Band in Berlin. She DID like to travel, especially spreading Mingus Music.

(And rest assured, Knepper was not out for too long, making recordings and arrangements which the Mingus Dynasty still play today. Always the music came first!)