Arizona’s Forgotten Musician Changed The Game For Good

Arizona is home to some of the greatest musicians of all time. From Alice Cooper to Stevie Nicks, our stereo systems wouldn't sound the same without the Grand Canyon state.

So many in the pantheon of popular music call this state their home, but there's one whos name always seems to be forgotten. He was a visionary, a revolutionary, and the man who practically reinvented popular music.

Meet Charlie.

Charles Mingus

There may not be a greater jazz musician than Charles Mingus. Over the course of a 30 year career, he redefined jazz as a genre, and moved to push its influence into the mainstream. His composition has stood the test of time, and his performances were otherworldly.

Mingus' specialty was the bass, leading to a driving sound in his music, almost unheard of in that era of smooth, elevator jazz. He was a pioneer of bebop and avant-garde jazz, making its influence felt around recording studios. His masterpiece, 1963's "The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady" has been described by Steve Huey as "one of the greatest achievements in orchestration by any composer in jazz history."

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Read More: The History of Sierra Vista's Toughest Man

Mingus' Arizona Roots

Despite having spent his most popular years in New York, Mingus' story starts here, in Arizona. Born to a family with complicated ethnic backgrounds, Mingus spent the earliest years of his life in Nogales, where his family's Asian, African, and European roots influenced the music around him.

These roots would go on to shape Mingus' innovative, and sometimes eccentric compositions. This allowed the music to sound totally unlike any other jazz on the market, helping him make the jump to perform with legends such as Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory and Lionel Hampton in his youth.

Though Mingus has been dead since 1979, his influence still rings through the halls of jazz studios, concert halls, and band classrooms, and is unlikely to be forgotten any time soon.

[Charles Mingus][Allmusic]