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A review by boleuzia
Beneath the Underdog: His World as Composed by Mingus by Charles Mingus
3.0
"In other words I am three."
Even more self-aggrandizing than Miles' autobiography and at least twice as surreal and ridiculous. The book, which was published in 1971, but in the works for at least a decade and at one point reportedly counted +1.000 pages, is not so much a retelling of Mingus' musical/life story, as a kind of message. "My book was written for black people, to tell them how to get through life", Mingus said.
Most of it focuses on his youth and early years (ca. until he moved to NYC in the early 50's). As such, you learn nothing about the creation of his masterpieces (Pithecanthropus Erectus, Ah Um, The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady,...) or even his working methods, influences or crucial musical partnerships. Instead, he focuses on amorous, family and business relationships. Those are insightful, as they tell you something about circumstances for black artists in the 30's, 40's and 50's (and his views on race, entrepreneurship, society, etc.), but the focus on his sexual appetite becomes grating after a while (at one point, he supposedly spent two and a half hours with 26 Mexican prostitutes). The same goes for the bragging, brawny stories about pimping and the sexist vocabulary (most women get called bitches, whores or both).
Art Tatum, Fats Navarro and Charlie Parker make appearances, but others with whom Mingus had important or long-running relationships (Eric Dolphy, Dannie Richmond) barely get mentioned. So, if you want to learn about the musical accomplishments of this American giant, you have to turn elsewhere. In the meantime 'Beneath The Underdog', which is as numbing as it is enlightening, offers more than a glimpse of the complex psychology of this hugely conflicted, but endlessly fascinating artist.
(This was one of the first jazz-related books I ever read, some 30 years ago - many thanks to the Diepenbeek public library. It was exactly as monotonous as I remembered, though I got more out of it this time around. Maybe I've become a slightly better reader.)
Even more self-aggrandizing than Miles' autobiography and at least twice as surreal and ridiculous. The book, which was published in 1971, but in the works for at least a decade and at one point reportedly counted +1.000 pages, is not so much a retelling of Mingus' musical/life story, as a kind of message. "My book was written for black people, to tell them how to get through life", Mingus said.
Most of it focuses on his youth and early years (ca. until he moved to NYC in the early 50's). As such, you learn nothing about the creation of his masterpieces (Pithecanthropus Erectus, Ah Um, The Black Saint & The Sinner Lady,...) or even his working methods, influences or crucial musical partnerships. Instead, he focuses on amorous, family and business relationships. Those are insightful, as they tell you something about circumstances for black artists in the 30's, 40's and 50's (and his views on race, entrepreneurship, society, etc.), but the focus on his sexual appetite becomes grating after a while (at one point, he supposedly spent two and a half hours with 26 Mexican prostitutes). The same goes for the bragging, brawny stories about pimping and the sexist vocabulary (most women get called bitches, whores or both).
Art Tatum, Fats Navarro and Charlie Parker make appearances, but others with whom Mingus had important or long-running relationships (Eric Dolphy, Dannie Richmond) barely get mentioned. So, if you want to learn about the musical accomplishments of this American giant, you have to turn elsewhere. In the meantime 'Beneath The Underdog', which is as numbing as it is enlightening, offers more than a glimpse of the complex psychology of this hugely conflicted, but endlessly fascinating artist.
(This was one of the first jazz-related books I ever read, some 30 years ago - many thanks to the Diepenbeek public library. It was exactly as monotonous as I remembered, though I got more out of it this time around. Maybe I've become a slightly better reader.)