Biography
Formed in the wake of bassist and bandleader Charles Mingus’s death in 1979, Mingus Dynasty assembled numerous standout former colleagues for lively performances and recordings. Although some of the resulting albums fall short of Mingus’s strongest work, making the bassist’s absence especially noticeable, many others successfully revive his distinctive vitality. For a 1988 concert the ensemble grew larger and briefly operated under the name Big Band Charlie Mingus. Musicians who have taken part in the Mingus Dynasty project, which has issued recordings on Elektra, Atlantic, Soul Note, and Storyville, include Jimmy Owens, Randy Brecker, Richard Williams, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Knepper, John Handy, Joe Farrell, Ricky Ford, George Adams, David Murray, Clifford Jordan, Nick Brignola, Don Pullen, Sir Roland Hanna, Jaki Byard, Dannie Richmond, Billy Hart, Kenny Washington, Charlie Haden, Aladar Pege, Mike Richmond, Reggie Johnson, Reggie Workman, and Richard Davis.