Happy (104th) Birthday, Charles!
Charles Mingus Sextet (CM, 4/22/1922–1/5/1979, bass, compositions; Eric Dolphy, 1928-1964, alto saxophone; Clifford Jordan, 1931-1993, tenor saxophone; Johnny Coles, 1925-1987, trumpet; Jaki Byard, 1922-1999, piano; Dannie Richmond, 1931-1988, drums), live, Belgium,* Norway,** Sweden,*** 1964
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radio
WKCR-FM (Columbia University): all Mingus, all day.
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* “So Long Eric,” “Peggy’s Blue Skylight,” “Meditations on Integration”
** “So Long Eric,” “Orange Was the Color of Her Dress, Then Blue Silk,” “Parkeriana,” “Take The ‘A’ Train”
*** “So Long Eric” (performance and rehearsal), “Meditations on Integration” (performance and rehearsal)
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago (Columbus Park)

sounds of Chicago
Music for Union Station, Lia Kohl (composition, cello), Dorothy Carlos (cello), Zachary Good (bass clarinet), Gerrit Hatcher (tenor saxophone) Riley Leitch (trombone), Nick Meryhew (trombone), Beth McDonald (tuba), Zach Moore (bass), Jason Stein (bass clarinet), Macie Stewart (violin), performed 5/15/25 (Union Station, Chicago [rush hour]), published January 16, 2026
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Illinois

my back pages
On a cold, snowy night forty-nine years ago, at a church thirty miles north of Chicago, my wife, Suzanne, and I were married. Tenor saxophonist Von Freeman (1923-2012, MCOTD Hall of Fame) and pianist John Young (1922-2008) provided the music, playing before the ceremony (“Over the Rainbow,” “It Never Entered My Mind,” “More”); during (Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” [unaccompanied saxophone], as Suzanne walked down the aisle), and after (“My Favorite Things,” “Song for My Father”). All of what they played that night can be heard here (0:14-).
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Illinois
