__NOEDITSECTION__ Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was the biggest, brashest, bastardest bassist in the history of jazz music. His technical skill at both composition and performance was rivaled only by his rage and temper behind the scenes, itself only rivaled by his rage and temper in front of (and during) the scenes. In fact, it was often Mingus himself who made the scenes, while his bandmates ineffectually told him to stop, since they were starting to draw a crowd.