Charles Mingus Quotes about Music

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

Inspirational, Inspiring, Music

Charles Mingus' statement in Mainliner Magazine (July 1977); later quoted in Olivia Bertagnolli "Creativity and the writing process" (p. 182), 1982.

Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

Charles Mingus

Inspirational, Music, Art

I'm trying to play the truth of what I am. The reason it's difficult is because I'm changing all the time.

Charles Mingus

Music, Play, Trying

Charles Mingus' statement to Nat Hentoff as quoted in Anthony Fawcett "California Rock, California Sound: The Music of Los Angeles and Southern California" (p. 56), 1979, and in "Jazz: Beyond Time and Nations" in Nat Hentoff "The Nat Hentoff Reader" (p. 99), October 17, 2001.

Jazz music is a language of the emotions.

Charles Mingus

Music, Jazz, Emotion

They're singing your praises while stealing your phrases.

Charles Mingus

Music, Singing, Phrases

I, myself, came to enjoy the players who didn't only just swing but who invented new rhythmic patterns, along with new melodic concepts. And those people are: Art Tatum, Bud Powell, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles Parker, who is the greatest genius of all to me because he changed the whole era around.

Charles Mingus

Music, Art, Player

"What Is A Jazz Composer?". Charles Mingus' liner notes for "Let My Children Hear Music", album composed by Charles Mingus, January/February 1972.

Thelonius Monk went over to Bird and Bud Powell and said, 'I told you guys to act crazy, but I didn't tell you to fall in love with the act. You're really crazy now.'

Charles Mingus

Music, Falling In Love, Crazy