Diving into Charles Mingus - A Centenary Celebration at NEC

It is never too late for anything. I took myself to school in my backwards heart led and determined way. Sometimes life makes no sense at all, but I like that a highlight of my time at NEC was getting to dive deep into the music subconscious and conscious of Charles Mingus. Him turning 100 was an opportunity for the School to celebrate his birthday and have students and faculty perform some of his seminal works or interpretations of them.

So, I gave it a go. Got my VIBRATO out the closet and practiced my arse off. Thanks to the beautiful and rigorous guidance of my kind and patient teacher Mike Block I got it together eventually, I even practiced the bowings. I never practice bowings. And in the traditional music I usually play  (Klezmer & Transylvanian) I don't use Vibrato, it is an ornament much as any other affect to a note. But a concerto be a concerto and I rose to the occasion. The ensemble were incredible and I got to be a soloist in front of a lot of loud Wind & Brass instruments. Kind of heaven really seen as I have a brass fetish ;).

You can watch back the whole concert below, which features performances from Jason Moran, Ran Blake, the NEC Black Students Union Ensemble, Ted Reichman, Astghik Martirosyan, Frank Carlberg, Ken Schaphorst, Anna Abondolo, James Paul Nadian, Zoe Murphy, Talia Rubenstein, Lemuel Marc, Joey Dies and Jason Palmer. 

It was great to get to dive into the compositions of such a prolific and genre defying musician and artist. Mingus taught me how to really bring oneself fully into the music - his energy lives and breathes through his compositions and I was inspired and motivated by his style, passion, anger and drive to express himself.

I was honoured to be asked to open the night by performing Half Mast Inhibition, a concerto for solo cello & full wind ensemble that Mingus wrote when he was only 17! Mingus had a strong connection to NEC, having been pals with Gunther Schuller, legendary former director of the School and the person who coined the term 'Third Stream'. The only recording of HMI  see's Gunther conducting the piece and features an all star line up featuring some of my musical heroes including Yusef Lateef, Max Roach & Eric Dolphy. Listen to the original recording below: