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Beneath The Underdog Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 232 ratings


A fascinating insight into Mingus' mind - unforgettable –
The Times

A pure genius – Miles Davis

The purest of dynamite –
Rolling Stone

Bass player extraordinaire Charles Mingus, who died in 1979, is one of the essential composers in the history of jazz, and Beneath the Underdog, his celebrated, wild, funny, demonic, anguished, shocking and profoundly moving memoir, is the greatest autobiography ever written by a jazz musician.

It tells of his God-haunted childhood in Watts during the 1920s and 1930s; his outcast adolescent years; his apprenticeship, not only with jazzmen but also with pimps, hookers, junkies, and hoodlums; and his golden years in New York City with such legendary figures as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. Here is Mingus in his own words, from shabby roadhouses to fabulous estates, from the psychiatric wards of Bellevue to worlds of mysticism and solitude, but for all his travels never straying too far, always returning to music.
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Product details

Listening Length 10 hours and 51 minutes
Author Charles Mingus
Narrator Mark Ebulue, Mark Ebulue
Audible.com Release Date May 02, 2019
Publisher Canongate Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07K7V3G3D
Best Sellers Rank #73,125 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#1,229 in Biographies of Celebrities & Entertainment Professionals
#1,338 in Composer & Musician Biographies

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
232 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and well-written. They appreciate the insightful and encouraging writing style. The pacing is described as vivid and humorous. Readers love the music quality and art direction.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

14 customers mention "Readability"11 positive3 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and well-written. They say it's a masterpiece and worth reading for jazz fans.

"...at how few reviewers seem to "get" this book -- I knew it was a masterpiece, that much is obvious to me -- and it has fueled my love of Charles..." Read more

"...It is a truly generous book: Mingus really lets you into his compicated, inspired, and suffering mind. Well worth the time for all jazz fans." Read more

"Amazing book by one of the jazz titans. Never read anything quite like it." Read more

"...a really angry book and he may have a right to be angry but it's a hard read" Read more

6 customers mention "Insight"6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's insights into the man's personality. They find the third-person references novel, but some readers found the book did not hold their interest.

"...and arbitrary, is it sad and pathetic, is it excessive, is it awe-inspiring, does it make you want to quit it's so good sometimes, does it keep you..." Read more

"...with music and how he persuaded himself to go further with it was very encouraging and I even went to my library's website to get the audiobook...." Read more

"...Although his third-person references to himself was novel, the book did not hold my interest...." Read more

"Total stream of consciousness...what a life of a Jazz giant..he was larger than his size and knew how to swing with the best...this book should be..." Read more

5 customers mention "Pacing"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the pacing and theme of the book. They describe it as a jazz fable, an anthem to a crazy period in American history, and a great storyteller. Readers also mention it's raw and sexy, with a raw childhood through musical.

"...it than most of us could ever afford to, emerging with some of the most vivid and entertaining commentary on sex, race, religion, death and yes -..." Read more

"...I like the theme and the atmosphere Mingus presented because it felt as if I was the one who experienced what he did because the way he described..." Read more

"...by this book, it is a jazz fable, a tall tale, an anthem to an insane period in American history, a wonderful pastiche and motley carnival of fact..." Read more

"A raw, surprising sexy book that ranges from a wild childhood through musical genius to the halls of a mental institution...." Read more

4 customers mention "Humor"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor. They describe it as a wonderful pastiche of fact and fiction, a tall tale, and an anthem to an insane world. The book is described as funny, unusual, and insightful, just like Mingus' music.

"...tall tale, an anthem to an insane period in American history, a wonderful pastiche and motley carnival of fact and fiction, a truly ground-breaking..." Read more

"This book is no different than his music, utterly Mingus. If you like his music, you'll like the book." Read more

"...Nonetheless, its a very entertaining read; well written and funny as hell. Buy this book." Read more

"Unusual and insightful...." Read more

4 customers mention "Music quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the music quality. They say the bassist and composer are better than the author. The music sounds familiar, like they are right back home.

"...It sounded so familiar as if I was right back home and I loved it...." Read more

"Big fan of Mingus but many parts are hard to get through, i.e. better bassist and composer than author." Read more

"Too graphic about sexual things - didn't finish it. Love his music but story was offensive in parts" Read more

"Mingus was a great musician but not a great writer. I love his music!" Read more

3 customers mention "Art direction"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the art direction. They find the compositions and personalities realistic.

"...from a near-photographic memory, or the artful compositions of a first-rate talent, they scream with authenticity, and provide an absolutely rich,..." Read more

"Almost five stars for one of the most protean figures (in or out of jazz) that I know of. Les Peetz" Read more

"...The colorful personalities are real,you won't learn much about Mingus the musician but Mingus the man." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2012
    I am astonished at how few reviewers seem to "get" this book -- I knew it was a masterpiece, that much is obvious to me -- and it has fueled my love of Charles Mingus and his music to even greater heights than before. But I had no idea it were possible that it could be such a woefully and widely misunderstood masterpiece. To be clear where I'm coming from, I try to concentrate my reading on literature, rather than pulp and garbage, as I have the feeling that life is short and we've only got so much time to try and figure it out. Well, for passionate seekers, this book is literature, and it's far from a waste of time - it is, in fact, a crucial document.

    Sure, it's got some arguable flaws. He DOES go on about sex to a degree that might get a little tedious time and again. And per his disclaimer, there's plenty in here we won't feel compelled to take as 100% fact - yes, that might include the episode with the 20-plus prostitutes in Tijuana. But Good Lord, if you ever wanted a direct view into the mind of a towering, volcanic personality who was not only a musical genius, but a genius of a kind when it came to life itself, this is your book. Is sex not the stuff of life? Would most of us not wish there were more of it in our own memoirs? One of the most impressive aspects of this book are the speeches and dialogues - whether they are transcriptions from a near-photographic memory, or the artful compositions of a first-rate talent, they scream with authenticity, and provide an absolutely rich, riveting and priceless glimpse into the mind of Black America - and White America, for that matter - in the 20th Century.

    LIfe lived as hard as it can be lived: master musicians, master pimps, wizened old ladies, mean old bastards, precocious kids, happy-go-lucky wastrels, depressed geniuses, many of them waxing deep and philosophical, in short or at length. Much of it is pithy indeed, bouts of wisdom and foolishness that are at turns equally impressive. Heavy, cutting takes on life from souls who have dived deeper into it than most of us could ever afford to, emerging with some of the most vivid and entertaining commentary on sex, race, religion, death and yes - music - that you'll ever read anywhere. Foremost among them is Mingus himself. While obviously capable of brutal and even cruel behavior, what is most striking is his profound sensitivity, his not-always-present but striking capacity for compassion, his astonishing intellect, his voracious appetite for everything - including an understanding of what the hell life is all about, anyway - and his talent for getting big portions of it, if not all of it. And yes - there's also his brilliance as a writer.

    Is it choppy, is it dirty, is it irresponsible, is it offensive, is it woefully, fragmentary, incomplete and arbitrary, is it sad and pathetic, is it excessive, is it awe-inspiring, does it make you want to quit it's so good sometimes, does it keep you coming back to drink in those sad, searing, hilarious, utterly moving and heart-breaking speeches by Fats Navarro? Damn, it's all of those things as far as I'm concerned, and that's OK.

    It's certainly fair that a lot of good folks might be offended by the naughty parts, which are in no short supply. Nevertheless, if you're not fascinated by this book, I would submit that your interest in jazz and all that concerns jazz - which is quite a lot of things in this world that are very, very important and sadly under appreciated - is tragically limited. So try reading it again!
    48 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2019
    I had to buy this book for college. I was going to school to get my bachelor's online in music production located in Boston. One of the several books I had to read, which was hard because I was in-between three jobs and going to school full-time. I manage my time wisely just to ready three books and, this being one of them, was by far my favorite.

    I like the theme and the atmosphere Mingus presented because it felt as if I was the one who experienced what he did because the way he described his neighborhood reminded me of the one I was born in. It sounded so familiar as if I was right back home and I loved it. His relationship with music and how he persuaded himself to go further with it was very encouraging and I even went to my library's website to get the audiobook.

    I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a dream in anything, it doesn't have to be about music because if Mingus could do what he did to reach his goals then anyone else can, including me!
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
    I wanted to know more about Mingus but this is a really angry book and he may have a right to be angry but it's a hard read
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2011
    Look, all you people who are offended, turned off, disappointed by this book, it is a jazz fable, a tall tale, an anthem to an insane period in American history, a wonderful pastiche and motley carnival of fact and fiction, a truly ground-breaking early Post-Modern ride. It is precisely along the lines of the music Mingus made. The moralists and those who sit in judgment are reacting precisely the way Mingus would have found hilarious. If you don't get this book, you don't get Mingus music and you probably don't get a whole lot of other angles on underground American culture, race relations, black male sexuality as mythologized by our prurient pseudo-religious moralizers, drug addiction and its bizarre effect on personal relationships, raw spirituality and the shadow, the mid-century shambles of mental health care, the predicament of the creative artist in a capitalist society, etc., etc., etc. If you want a pallid "jazz biography" read a book by some footnote-addled academic. If you want a real vision of one of the craziest lives of one of the most amazing artists of the 20th century, this book can work.
    33 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2021
    I very much wish this book had a lot more info on his development as a musician and a little less on his sexual prowess. Was he the best at that time? Who should he have been compared to? Who did he study with-in more detail.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2014
    This is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read. It is a truly generous book: Mingus really lets you into his compicated, inspired, and suffering mind. Well worth the time for all jazz fans.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2020
    This book is no different than his music, utterly Mingus. If you like his music, you'll like the book.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2023
    After the glowing reviews listed here I had high hopes for this bio, thinking that I would learn about the music world if not the music. Instead we are subjected to a living color litany of who he effed, how many times, in what positions, who his gf's effed etc etc etc ad NAUSEUM. Highschoolish. Bla bla bla. Read Miles Davis bio if you want to LEARN about something besides penis size and # of effs.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Boredomchillz
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great read. Also, listening to Mingus music nowadays. ❤️
    Reviewed in India on September 17, 2021
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    Boredomchillz
    5.0 out of 5 stars It's a great read. Also, listening to Mingus music nowadays. ❤️
    Reviewed in India on September 17, 2021

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  • Wayne Martin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent memoir
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2021
    Excellent book! Very entertaining memoirs and not afraid to stretch the truth for a good story. Gives you a great idea as to what it's like to have spoken to him and is kinda like chewing the fat with the legend.
  • Jorge Luis Parra
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantástico
    Reviewed in Mexico on April 7, 2019
    Fantástica lectura para apasionados del jazz
  • Jim Pilgrim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not an Ordiary Biography
    Reviewed in France on March 8, 2019
    discrimination jazz madness sex jazz love jazz guns composition jazz hormones genius parties cars people jazz more sex clubs jazz rage love anger talking passion color love jazz women girls - everything is like jazz and tales and thought and ejaculation and and experience and events - indescribable. I think THIS is the man himself in words. - read it and be shocked or overjoyed or amazed or entertained, it's up to you. Nothing like it. This mans life can't be described except by the book. It's an experience - it's compex? I guess you had to be there.? & Mingus. Also Jazz.
  • Chris
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on March 23, 2017
    Quite an interesting read. Mr Mingus was one odd cat.