Graphic novel 'Mingus' celebrates jazz genius Charles Mingus

Flavio Massarutto and Squaz have released a graphic novel titled 'Mingus' (Coconino Press, Rome, 2021, 160 pages, €20) that pays homage to jazz composer and bassist Charles Mingus. The book is not a straightforward biography but a creative and respectful tribute that intertwines narrative and essay, presenting significant episodes from Mingus's life and career as tracks on a vinyl concept album. Massarutto, a scholar, describes Mingus as the greatest jazz composer after Duke Ellington, highlighting his unique, recognizable sound that blends swing, bop, third stream, jazz poetry, and free jazz. The graphic novel covers key compositions such as 'Eclipse,' 'Pithecanthropus Erectus,' 'Nostalgia in Times Square,' 'What Love,' 'Fables of Faubus,' 'Self-Portrait in Three Colors,' 'The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady,' 'Passions of a Man,' 'Epitaph,' and 'Sophisticated Lady' (a tribute to Ellington). Squaz (Pasquale Todisco) provides warm, low-color illustrations, evoking the muscularity of Mingus's music. The work also references Mingus's autobiography 'Beneath the Underdog' (Italian title 'Peggio di un bastardo') and his complex identity, feeling of being without race, country, or friends. The review is written by Ferruccio Giromini.