Been buying some jazz videos lately when I see them at the record store that I always go to. Picked up a copy of this video on Mingus. It's a documentary featuring an interview with him on the eve of his eviction from a New York loft intertwined with live performances and just scenes back by his poetry.

The mood of the documentary is angry, which is probably justifiable, considering what is going to happen the next day. Mingus is interviewed and is very upfront about his feelings, but he sometimes rambles and goes off on strange tangents at times. (Goes on to talk about who killed Kennedy a couple of times, mentions gangsters, LBJ, etc) He was baited sometimes by the interviewer, but he mostly goes off on his own.

But he does get his point across and you learn that this was basically a kind and caring man, who just wanted respect. He constanly made references that "he hadn't done too bad for an uneducated man." His daughter, Carolyn, is in the video, and he sometimes stops to play and talk to her. You can see the love that he had for her and her mother. The one disturbing part was when he actually fired a rifle in the loft (toward the ceiling) while his daughter was there.

The interview takes place in the loft, which looks like a hurricane just went through it. It's so bad he could hardly walk around. The performances took place in what looked to be a very small club. (there was an outside scene of him driving up in a VW bus to a small shack called "Lennie's Jazz Spot", notes say somewhere near Boston). He was joined on those performances by Dannie Richmond, Walter Bishop, JohnGilmore and Charles McPherson playing such tunes as "All the Things You Are", "Secret Love", and "Take the A Train". There are also scenes of him conducting a big band, composing and singing. But one of the highlights for me was the poetry.

The documentary ended with the actual eviction... New York's finest escorting him out of the building then arresting him for finding syringes in the loft. It also shows the Sanitation Department loading up his things (including his bass) into a truck and the superintendent stating they would store the stuff for 30 days before trashing it. A bit of humor - while they where loading Mingus in the police car, the photographers were pushing for position and it got a little rough ("Get out of my way, g*d dammit", "I'll kick your ass",etc.) When the cops turn around to handle the photographers, Mingus opens the door and starts to get out. (they hadn't handcuffed him or anything). It was funny to see the look on one of the policeman face when he saw this. He said something like "C'mon Charles, get back in the car." It was all good natured you could tell the cops were just doing their jobs and Charles knew it and didn't seem upset. He was explaining that the syringes was for medication for him or his wife. (have to watch it again to find out for sure).

Not sure of all the details of why he was being evicted, but it had to do with a discrepancy with the city of New York. You didn't find out until the end that this was not where he was living, but where he was going to build a school to teach jazz.

Sad, because you then understood what he was saying earlier a little better. And when they showed him crying ....well, nobody likes to see a grown man cry.
 

Video length: 58 mins.( in black and white.)