Mingus Big Band

The Mingus Big Band is performing this Saturday, May 23rd as part of the Bellevue Jazz Festival. The 14-piece band, which performs nothing but the dynamic and challenging music of jazz giant Charles Mingus, was brought together in 1991 by Mingus' widow Sue as a means for reviving her husband's repertoire and reputation. The band pays tribute to Mingus by using his compositions as a starting point for their own spirited explorations. Mingus' catalogue of music is so vast, varied and unpredictable that it serves as a renewable resource for an ever expanding roster of top notch musicians. The band has recorded eight albums of their variations on Mingus' compositions and arrangements, six of which have been nominated for GRAMMY awards.

The Mingus Band is unique among modern bands for having taken a towering musical legacy and using it to form a contemporary showcase for original and vital performances. They perform in the Center Hall at Meydenbauer Center in downtown Bellevue. Tickets are available here.