The Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop is pleased to offer exciting internship opportunities for New York area music students wishing to learn more about the music of Charles Mingus. The internship position is predominantly responsible for helping the Jazz Workshop maintain and update its music library, which consists of over 100 arrangements of charts currently performed by the Mingus Big Band, Mingus Orchestra, and Mingus Dynasty throughout the world and each week at the Iridium jazz club in New York City.

Charles Mingus is one of the most important figures in 20th Century American music. His life was filled with music from the time he was six years old until he died at the age of 56 in 1979. He was a virtuoso performer, composer, bandleader, author, and music teacher. Mingus recorded over 100 jazz albums and changed the way jazz was played by inventing new formats and styles of playing bass. In his compositions, Mingus mixed sounds and rhythms from all the music he heard around him as he grew up: Latin, Mexican folk music, gospel, traditional jazz, European classical music, bebop, and Flamenco. Considered one of the most important jazz composers of his day, his entire body of over 300 music scores and suites are held in the U.S. Library of Congress. In addition to this recognition, Mingus music has influenced popular music, from hip hop, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. Pop culture icons such as Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and Chuck D have explored Mingus's music, and can frequently be heard in major motion pictures, television shows, and commercials worldwide.

The Mingus Bands – which tour and record under the aegis of the Jazz Workshop, the company started by Charles Mingus and continued by his wife, Sue Mingus, include the Mingus Dynasty, the first of the three repertory bands that formed after Mingus's death in 1979; the Mingus Big Band, which performs every Tuesday night in Times Square's Iridium nightclub, and the Mingus Orchestra, which features more exotic instrumentation, such as bassoon, bass clarinet, guitar and French horn. Their latest CD, "Live from Tokyo" (2006 – Sunnyside/SueMingusMusic) was recorded live at the Blue Note. Last year’s release, “I Am Three,” was nominated for a Grammy award. All three groups performed at the annual IAJE conference in New York in January 2006.

"We have been very lucky to have regular forums for the music, which allow us to develop audiences for the music and to expand the listenership for Mingus's compositions," says Sue Mingus. "We hope this will continue, and that our concerts, tours, and clinics will help to develop new generations of Mingus listeners and performers."

For more information or to apply, please email us at jazzedu@mingusmingusmingus.com and include the word "Internship" in the subject line. We are currently accepting inquiries for the fall.