I am Charles Mingus

I am Charles Mingus, a famed jazz musician but not famed enough to make a living in society, that is in America, my home. I cannot even support my family, honestly that is, from the fame that I gain to the right of being a negro musician.

I am a human being born in Indian territory, conquered by white skins, or invisible skins, transparent skins, people who killed and robbed to inherit the earth for themselves and for their children.

Charles Mingus is a musician, a mongrel musician who plays beautiful, who plays ugly, who plays lovely, who plays masculine, who plays feminine, who plays music, who plays all sounds, loud, soft, unheard sounds, sounds, sounds, sounds. A musician just loves to play with sound.

—Charles Mingus