April 22: WKCR Annual Mingus Birthday Broadcast

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2025 - 12:00AM TO 11:59PM

WKCR is pleased to announce our annual birthday celebration for celebrated bassist and pianist Charles Mingus, broadcast on FM and HD radio and online 24 hours straight from 12:00 am to midnight on April 22, 2025.

One of the most important figures in twentieth-century American music, Charles Mingus was a virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader, and composer. Born on a military base in Nogales, Arizona, in 1922 and raised in Watts, California, his earliest musical influences came from the church—choir and group singing—and from "hearing Duke Ellington over the radio when [he] was eight years old." Mingus studied double bass and composition formally and had early professional experiences with Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Lionel Hampton.

Mingus' innovative compositions and boundary-pushing recordings include Pithecanthropus Erectus, Mingus Ah Um, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, Cumbia and Jazz Fusion, and Let My Children Hear Music. His works are among the most influential in jazz, blending complex structures with improvisation, while addressing profound social and political themes.

Though Mingus passed away in 1979, his legacy lives on. His music is still celebrated worldwide through repertory groups like the Mingus Dynasty, Mingus Orchestra, and Mingus Big Band, founded by his wife, Sue Graham Mingus. His works are cataloged in the Charles Mingus Collection at the Library of Congress, ensuring future generations can study and appreciate his genius.

Join us at WKCR for a 24-hour celebration of Mingus’ 103rd birthday, featuring his extraordinary music, both live and from the archives. Follow WKCR on Instagram (@wkcr) and Twitter (@WKCRFM) for further updates. Online listening is available 24/7 at wkcr.org (http://wkcr.org/).