"It would be no exaggeration to call Charles Mingus the greatest bass player in the history of jazz; indeed, some might even regard it as understatement, for the hurricane power of his work as a compos"

In this new biography Brian Priestley has written a masterly study of Mingus's dynamic career from the early years in Swing, to the escapades of the Bebop era, through his musical maturity in the 50's when he directed a band that redefined collective improvisation in jazz. The book views Mingus as a black artist increasingly politicized by his situation, but also unreliable as a witness to his own persecution.