“The definitive Mingus biography.”–The Boston Book Review
“The best examination yet of an American original.”–Washington Post
“The great bassist and composer’s wild, turbulent life [is] wonderfully captured by Santoro….In sharp and lively prose, [he] digs deep into Mingus’ past to sort out the strands of his life…”–Rolling Stone
“As Mingus’s story unfolds, Santoro keeps the backbeat with perspectives on the socio-political churnings over those years, all of which affected Mingus’s life and music….Santoro is on target, and his writing…soars.”–The Boston Globe
“This is a biography as gargantuan in scope and ambition as Mingus himself, and highly recommended.”–The Seattle Times
“Written with the elegant hand of an experienced journalist and the insight of a musician with first-rate ears, the book accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of casting a revealing light upon the inner life of its enigmatic subject.”–Los Angeles Times
“Santoro brings his readers into the mind of this conflicted genius.”–The Philadelphia Inquirer
From the Back Cover
“The best examination yet of an American Original” -The Washington Post
“The great bassist and composer’s wild, turbulent life [is] wonderfully captured by Santoro.” -Rolling Stone
“Santoro’s unconventional but meticulously researched biography is deliciously entertaining examination not only of jazz’s ‘angry man’ and his music, but of the times in which both flourished. Santoro casts Mingus as a central character in the restless drama of a postwar America wrestling to find its identity politically, socially, and artistically.” -The Boston Globe
“Santoro brings his readers into the mind of this conflicted genius.” -Philadelphia Inquirer
“Santoro’s ambitious and engrossing biography has the vivd force of a bravura performance by one of its subject’s classic Jazz Workship ensembles.” -The San Francisco Chronicle
“The definitive Mingus biography.” -The Boston Book Review
“Written with the elegant hand of an experienced journalist and the insight of a musician with first-rate ears, the book accomplishes the seemingly impossible task of casting a revealing light upon the inner life of its enigmatic subject.” -Los Angeles Times
About the Author
A former Fulbright scholar, book editor, and musician, Gene Santoro is a music critic at the New York Daily News and columnist at The Nation and Chamber Music. The author of Dancing in Your Head and Stir It Up, he has written articles and essays for The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Spin, Rolling Stone, and Down Beat. He divides his time between New York City and Shokan, New York.
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