Our long–running “Mingus Monday” residency resumes tonight with the explosive Mingus Big Band. “The musician reached the peak of his fame in the mid‐1960s, when his blend of European‐influenced technical sophistication and fervent, blues‐based intensity proved enormously popular and influential. Always a stylistic eclectic, he avoided the depersonalized quality that afflicts many artists with varied roots. The force of his personality – indeed, his sheer, massive physical presence – was always strong, and his music continually reflected the venturesomeness of his musical mind.” (John Rockwell, “Charles Mingus Dies At 56” – NY Times, 1.9.1979)