Jazz Legends: Charles Mingus

Your guide to what's happening on stages across the country and beyond.

Pianist Keith Jarrett is one of the most captivating and controversial musicians of the last 50 years. He's a rare breed - a musician who has mastered the art of jazz improvisation and a fine classical player too. It’s been 50 years since the Köln Concert, which became the best-selling piano and solo jazz album of all time. But as we find out, that concert nearly didn't happen! You’ll hear all the back stories to this iconic artist in our tribute to Keith Jarrett. This episode was presented by bass player and ABC Jazz host, Eric Ajaye, and written and produced by ABC Jazz producer Henry Rasmussen. It was created by ABC Jazz, originally being broadcast on 2 June 2025. Find out more information on Keith Jarrett here.  ABC Jazz features a Jazz Legend each month on the radio, with historic moments, significant albums and a full-length feature to immerse into the important history of this music and culture.  Hear more Jazz Legends episodes here, including significant artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, Keith Jarrett, Mary Lou Williams and Herbie Hancock.

Your guide to what's happening on stages across the country and beyond.

Much like Duke Ellington before him, Charles Mingus' output was prolific. Over his near four-decade career, Mingus was behind a number of jazz firsts: he composed and recorded arguably the first jazz ballet - labelling his iconic LP 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' as "ethnic folk-dance music." He also brought together elements of swing, bebop and R&B in ways that had never been heard before. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Mingus never shied away from his roots in gospel music and the blues. Rather, these textures became an integral part of his sound - often juxtaposed against elements from the free jazz movement. 

Much like Duke Ellington before him, Charles Mingus' output was prolific. Over his near four-decade career, Mingus was behind a number of jazz firsts: he composed and recorded arguably the first jazz ballet - labelling his iconic LP 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' as "ethnic folk-dance music." He also brought together elements of swing, bebop and R&B in ways that had never been heard before. Unlike some of his contemporaries, Mingus never shied away from his roots in gospel music and the blues. Rather, these textures became an integral part of his sound - often juxtaposed against elements from the free jazz movement. This episode was presented by bass player and ABC Jazz host, Eric Ajaye, and written and produced by ABC Jazz producer Henry Rasmussen. It was created by ABC Jazz, originally being broadcast on 2 Sep 2024. Find out more information on Charles Mingus here.  

This week we're honouring the late, great Billie Holiday. From her early ascendancy as a weaver of song in the 30s to her outspoken truth telling with records like 'Strange Fruit' to her downfall and decline in the 1950s, her tale is one of the more captivating in jazz. Across this episode, we recount Billie's life, and you'll hear from Lady Day herself from various archival interviews.

If you were to put together a list of jazz’s most influential names, then it’d be hard to look past Quincy Jones’s contributions. He was a giant of the music industry, with an influence that spanned from the bop era right up to modern music today. 

In the '70s, Joni Mitchell looked to jazz to inform her creative style. She would collaborate with many of the genre's leaders, but as we'll discover, jazz also was key in her formation right from the start.This episode was presented by bass player and ABC Jazz host, Eric Ajaye, and written and produced by ABC Jazz producer Henry Rasmussen. It was created by ABC Jazz and originally broadcast on 5 Mar 2024. Find out more information on Joni Mitchell, here.  ABC Jazz features a Jazz Legend each month on the radio, with historic moments, significant albums and a full-length feature to immerse into the important history of this music and culture.  Hear more Jazz Legends episodes here, including significant artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, Keith Jarret, Mary Lou Williams and Herbie Hancock.

With over 70 years of playing jazz under his belt, Sonny Rollins has seen a thing or two. He was present at so many turning points in the music: from bebop to modal jazz, post bop to fusion... and beyond.Now days at the age of 93, Sonny Rollins is one of the last of his generation and a true elder statesman. His contribution to music in both the 20th and 21st centuries is immense, and to this day, many aspiring tenor saxophonists still look to Sonny as a source on inspiration.Discover Sonny's life and music across this episode, with archival highlights from the ABC's vault, as well as excerpts from pianist Ben Sidran's Talking Jazz series on CD.This episode was presented by bass player and ABC Jazz host, Eric Ajaye, and written and produced by ABC Jazz producer Henry Rasmussen.  It was created by ABC Jazz and originally broadcast on 3 July 2024.  Find out more information on Sonny Rollins, who was the Jazz Legend on ABC Jazz in July 2024 here.  ABC Jazz features a Jazz Legend each month on the radio, with historic moments, significant albums and a full-length feature to immerse into the important history of this music and culture.  Hear more Jazz Legends episodes here, including significant artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, Keith Jarret, Mary Lou Williams and Herbie Hancock.

The name Nina Simone can mean many things to many people. Casual fans of her music will no doubt remember her hits like 'I Loves You Porgy', or 'My Baby Just Cares For Me'. For others, though, Nina Simone was one of the most defiant and outspoken performers in the jazz field for much of her career.After an initial rise to fame in the 1950s, Nina started to use her music as a form of protest in the 1960s, becoming one of the most prominent artists involved in the civil rights movement in America.On this episode, we wind back the years on the singer and pianist's incredible career. You'll hear from Simone herself and we'll touch on why her music was and still is so important to this very day.This episode was presented by bass player and ABC Jazz host, Eric Ajaye,, and written and produced by ABC Jazz producer Henry Rasmussen.  It was created by ABC Jazz and originally broadcast on 5 November 2024. Find out more information on Nina Simone, who was the Jazz Legend on ABC, for November 2024, here.ABC Jazz features a Jazz Legend each month on the radio, with historic moments, significant albums and a full-length feature to immerse into the important history of this music and culture.  Hear more Jazz Legends episodes here, including significant artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, Keith Jarret, Mary Lou Williams and Herbie Hancock.