List of Combo Charts for high school competition

After you register, you will receive a link to a packet of these charts and more. This list is only a reference and starting point. Mingus re-recorded many of his compositions, often using varying or completely different titles, and the musical content and interpretations varied just as widely - one of the many rewarding challenges of studying Mingus Music.

Better Get Hit In Your Soul [Mingus Ah Um] — Debuted on Mingus Ah Um, recorded many times after (including Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus). Along with “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting”, it sparked a trend of gospel-influenced 6/4 jazz tunes.

Blue Cee [The Clown] — A blues conceived in two keys at once, C and B-flat.

Boogie Stop Shuffle [Mingus Ah Um] — Uptempo Bb minor blues, with a rolling boogie-woogie-derived bass line, layered over by plunger brass punctuations, and an angular melody.

Celia [Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus] — Romantic ballad written for Mingus’ second wife and co-founder of Debut Records.

Carolyn ‘Keki’ Mingus [Me Myself An Eye] — A ballad titled for and dedicated to Mingus’ daughter. Also recorded on Lionel Hampton Presents The Music of Charles Mingus (reissued as His Final Work).

Devil Woman [Oh Yeah] — A slow blues that is atypical in meter, form, and harmony. “That means I tried to live a straight-life marriage and afterwards, when it didn’t work, I decided to get me a devil woman — cause angel women don’t mean me no good.” Re-recorded for Me Myself An Eye (1978).

Diane/Alice’s Wonderland [Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland] — A ballad with two melodies. Sometimes titled “Diane”, sometimes “Alice’s Wonderland”, sometimes both. The recording on Mingus Dynasty adds another, more abstract melody.

Dizzy Moods [Tijuana Moods] — A hard-swinging contrafact of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Woody ‘n’ You”, first recorded with Hampton Hawes for Mingus Three (Trio).

Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love [Changes Two] — Classic Mingus ballad in Db (one of his favorite keys in which to write), recorded on Changes One (instrumental) and Changes Two (with vocalist). Subsequently performed live many times with Mingus’ quintets in the ‘70s.

Duke’s Choice [A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry] — Re-recorded later as the ballad movement incorporated into “Open Letter To Duke” (a compilation of earlier Mingus themes) on Mingus Ah Um, also recorded as “IX Love” for Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus.

East Coasting [East Coasting] — Uptempo bebop workout. “Whatever coast he’s on, a man should be himself. I don’t write in an particular idiom, I write Charles Mingus.”

Ecclusiastics [Oh Yeah] — Slow and soulful gospel-inspired piece. The studio recording of this tune features a solo-for-the-ages from multi-simultaneous-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Alternate recordings can also be heard on bootleg airchecks of broadcasts from 1962 Birdland performances (limited vinyl LP release in October 2023 from New Land records as Mingus Takes Manhattan).

Eclipse [Pre-Bird] — Another of Mingus’ beautiful and enduring ballads, with a challenging melody that utilizes wide melodic shapes and extended/altered chord tones. The lyrics make reference to the intolerant social reactions faced by an interracial couple. Recorded featuring vocalist Lorraine Cusson in 1961.

E’s Flat, Ah’s Flat Too [Blues & Roots] — A polyphonic layering of uptempo riffs begins with a bass line consisting entirely of octave-wide leaps. Also recorded by the composer as “Hora Decubitus” on Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus and under both titles on Charles Mingus & Friends In Concert. Elvis Costello later wrote lyrics, a performance of which has been captured on My Flame Burns Blue with the Metropole Orkest. The lyrics have also been performed by Frank Lacy with the Mingus Big Band (Live At The Jazz Standard)

Fables of Faubus [Mingus Ah Um] — Medium swing multi-strain piece with feel changes. With his lyrics and title, Mingus sought to disparage then-Governor of Arkansas Orville Faubus, who attempted to use the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the desegregation of public schools. Fearing backlash, Columbia Records would not allow the lyrics to be recorded for Mingus Ah Um, resulting in Mingus re-recording the piece soon after for Candid Records, complete with the intended verses, which was released as Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus.

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat [Mingus Ah Um] — Perhaps Mingus’ most widely-known composition. A somewhat-spontaneously composed blues ballad with a unique set of chord changes, in tribute and farewell to Lester Young, The President or “Prez” of the tenor saxophone and clarinet.

Gunslinging Bird [Mingus Dynasty] — A racing, 6/4 minor blues that was only commercially recorded by the composer once, though it was also performed at the 1959 Newport Jazz Festival.

Haitian Fight Song [The Clown] — A cadenza and an unforgettable Mingus bass riff serves as the foundation for an equally memorable and powerful melody that builds up in-the-round style, morphing into a medium swing minor blues for solo space. “I was always doing revolutionary things, things that would alert people like on the island of St. Maarten’s in the Caribbean, they need to be alerted.” -Mingus

Jelly Roll [Mingus Ah Um] — A medium swing 14-bar salutation to Jelly Roll Morton, the pianist and composer who claimed to have invented jazz. Mingus intended for his soloists to play “in the tradition” for the first chorus or so, then bring their statements forward into the post-bebop era. “Jelly Roll” is the melodic inversion of “My Jelly Roll Soul” recorded for Blues & Roots.

Moanin’ [Blues & Roots] — 64-bar F-minor uptempo swing, contrapuntal lines anchored by an unforgettable baritone sax riff.

Monk, Bunk, and Vice Versa [At Birdland, Oct. 26, 1962] — Bouncing, uptempo tune with a melodic nod to Thelonious Monk’s “Well, You Needn’t” (hence the title, with other nods to Bunk Johnson). Alternatively known as “Monk, Funk, and Vice-Versa”, this tune was never recorded commercially in the composer’s lifetime, but eventually surfaced as one of the movements of Epitaph. Four performances of the tune were preserved via radio broadcast airchecks of several performances by Mingus groups at New York’s famous Birdland jazz club in 1962. (Charles Mingus, b.; Ed Admour, tpt.; Don Butterfield, tuba; Pepper Adams, bari; Charles McPherson, alto; Jaki Byard, pno.; Dannie Richmond, dr.)

Noddin’ Ya Head Blues [Jazz in Detroit/Strata Concert Gallery/46 Selden] — Slow blues in F that debuted in 1973, later recorded for Three or Four Shades of Blues on Atlantic Records.

Nostalgia In Times Square [Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland] — Medium swing blues with unique set of chord changes. Also recorded with lyrics under the title “Strollin’”, this tune was originally written for the soundtrack of the John Cassavetes film Shadows.

Oh Lord Don’t Let Them Drop That Atomic Bomb On Me [Oh Yeah] — The source of the mushroom (cloud) reference on the album cover, this slow blues track features an informal vocal by Charles Mingus.

Opus Four [Mingus Moves] — Uptempo, Latin modal vamps, atypical phrase lengths, and a mix of traditional and chromatic harmonic progressions make for a challenging but rewarding tune. Also recorded by the Mingus Dynasty band on the album The Next Generation, featuring notable Mingus alumni such as Jack Walrath and George Adams.

Orange Was The Color Of Her Dress, Then Silk Blues [Cornell 1964] — A bluesy ballad derived from music Mingus wrote for an unrecorded television play. An embryonic version can be found on Mingus Plays Piano, but the incarnation of the tune more widely known and recognized is perhaps best exemplified on the numerous recordings made by Mingus’ legendary 1964 band, with a variety of tempo and feel changes classic to Mingus’ performance style.

“It was written for a Robert Herridge television show. It’s about a talented composer who meets a rich girl that tries to ruin his life. She doesn’t have anything to offer him but money, so she asks him to write a song and dedicate it to her dress, which was orange. She knew that nothing rhmes with ‘orange.’” -Mingus

O.P. [At Birdland, Oct. 1o, 1962] — Uptempo swinger with Great American Songbook style changes written in tribute to the great bassist & cellist Oscar Pettiford (sometimes titled “O.P. Jr.” for Pettiford’s son). Classic Mingusian workout for soloists, with an AABAC form consisting of 14-bar sections and a brief switch to 3/4 on the bridge, then a tour-de-Cycle-Of-Fourths over a Charleston stop-time feel in the C section. Various other live recordings can be found on the internet, most of them unauthorized. The tune was arranged for big band by Jaki Byard and performed by Toshiyuki Miyama & His New Herd Orchestra featuring the composer on bass, released as Charles Mingus with Orchestra. It was also arranged for even larger ensemble and unearthed after the composer’s death as a movement of Epitaph.

Paris in Blue [Debut Rarities] — A vocal feature for frequent Mingus collaborator Jackie Paris (referenced in the title) in which the protagonist describes his take on having the blues. Slow blues and double-time swing.

Portrait [Debut Rarities] — A classic Mingus ballad (in his favorite key of D-flat) from the early ‘50s, sometimes titled “God’s Portrait” or “Old Portrait”.

Peggy’s Blue Skylight [Mingus at Carnegie Hall] — Recorded many times by the composer, a medium or uptempo swing tune with a great set of chord changes, AAB (or ababcb) form.

Pithecanthropus Erectus [Pithecanthropus Erectus] — Dynamic medium swing tune featuring tenor and alto sax. The i-bVI-ii-V progression in F minor established here became a favored device used in many Mingus compositions throughout the composer’s career. This is a classic piece often cited as Mingus’ first landmark achievement in progressive jazz composition. Sy Johnson recalls Mingus leading his 1960 band into impromptu meter changes between 6/4 and 4/4 during solos.

Slippers [A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry] — A lesser-known Mingus tune originally heard on the Modern Jazz Symposium album. Accessible changes in a standard 32-bar form make this tune a good vehicle for soloists.

So Long Eric [Revenge! The Legendary Paris Concerts] — A 12-bar standard blues, usually played medium-up; Mingus’ musical farewell to Eric Dolphy written when Dolphy announced his intent to leave the band and reside in Europe. The tune was performed and recorded many times during 1964 and later, under a variety of titles.

Self-Portrait in Three Colors [Mingus Ah Um] — One of Mingus’ most classic compositions, a ballad from the landmark album Mingus Ah Um, consisting of 3 memorable melodies gradually layered together.

Slop [Mingus Dynasty] — Bluesy 6/4 piece moving between Eb and G for the A & B sections, with solos over G blues. Intended as a sound-alike or sequel to “Better Get Hit In Your Soul”, written for a request by a dance choreographer for CBS TV ballet of “Frankie & Johnny”.

Sue’s Changes [Changes One] — Extended-form composition with a range of style and tempo changes. A loving tribute to Sue Mingus and her magazine, Changes.

Tijuana Gift Shop [Tijuana Moods] — An uptempo Latin vamp sets up the 17-bar swing section with a bebop-influenced melody and challenging harmonic progression.

Tensions [Blues & Roots] — Minor-key uptempo swing piece with a unique melody played in echo between two competing front lines. "It's a technically involved composition. I called it that because the guys were tense playing it."

Us Is Two [Charles Mingus And Friends In Concert] — Ellington-inspired, long-form medium swing tune in D-flat. Alternatively titled “Us is Too”, “U.S. is Two”, etc. to call attention to racial disparities in the United States. Served as Mingus’ theme music for a time in the ‘70s, particularly during a big band residency at the Village Vanguard while the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra was on tour. Recorded on Mingus And Friends In Concert, 1972, arranged by Sy Johnson.

Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting [Blues & Roots] — This tune sparked a trend of gospel-influenced uptempo 6/4 jazz tunes, along with its sequel, “Better Get Hit In Your Soul”.

Weird Nightmare [Shuffle Bass Boogie/Wierd [sic] Nightmare, Single: 1946, Excelsior Record Company] — One of Mingus’ earliest ballads, featuring lyrics written by the composer. Recorded later as an instrumental under alternate titles “Smooch” (with Miles Davis), “Vassarlean” by Mingus, as well as “Pipe Dream”.

Work Song [Mingus at the Bohemia] — Slow swing piece inspired by the work song melodies sung by enslaved Africans and their descendants, most famously in prison labor camps in the American South. Mingus’ melody is conducted in a similar, echoing in-the-round/call-and-response manner, crescendoing as it builds up through the repeated 8-bar form.

BACK to Big Bands