Mingus Big Band
The Pocket130 West 46th Street, New York 10036
Mingus Big Band continues its Mingus Mondays residency at The Pocket with a 14-piece reading of Charles Mingus’s music. Created by Sue Mingus, the ensemble plays exclusively his compositions, using new arrangements to realize the larger-band format Mingus envisioned but could not always assemble in his lifetime. Its rotating New York roster makes room for extended exploration and individual voices within the composer’s writing, in the spirit of his Jazz Workshop projects.
A long-running New York institution, Mingus Big Band draws from established and rising musicians and has included Randy Brecker, Sean Jones, Donny McCaslin and Jeff “Tain” Watts. The group has received seven Grammy nominations, most recently for The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions in 2022, and won in 2011 for Live at Jazz Standard. Reviewers have called it “one of the most spirited and technically gifted bands in the country” and “an astonishingly telepathic ensemble.” The Guardian found the band “appropriately weighty and agile,” stretching the music’s “creative tensions,” while NYC Jazz Record called it “one of the hardest-swinging repertory bands in the land.”
The Pocket offers a close-up encounter with world-class jazz musicians in a small, focused setting where every note feels immediate and unfiltered. The room is designed to bring listeners near the performers, creating a direct connection that makes the music feel personal and vivid. Seating is limited and arranged to emphasize attentive listening rather than casual socializing, with a bar available to complement the experience. Shows are ticketed, encouraging an audience that is there to fully engage with the performance. The venue’s location in Manhattan places it within easy reach of the city’s vibrant cultural pulse, making it a perfect spot for an evening dedicated to serious jazz appreciation without distractions.