Mingus Dynasty: Tijuana Moods
The San Diego Symphony hosts this third-annual festival to explore the world of rhythm, sound, and place through percussion in a month-long celebration entitled “It’s About Time,” curated by percussionist, conductor, author, and University of California San Diego professor Steven Schick. Working with several of San Diego’s performing arts organizations, the festival is about the myriad of ways percussion music connects us to the world and to nature.
A seminal figure in 20th-century American music, Charles Mingus is considered (alongside Duke Ellington) as one of the most important composers in jazz history. The Mingus Dynasty band, composed of seven leading jazz artists from New York City, performs a revival of Charles Mingus' historic 1957 album Tijuana Moods. Mingus’ music documents his impressions Tijuana. While based most of his career in New York City, Mingus was born along the border in Nogales, Arizona and raised in Watts in Los Angeles, so this music reflects Mingus’s early roots and his profound connection with our region.
Event is presented with grant support from the Western States Arts Federation and the National Endowment for the Arts with support from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and the County of San Diego.