Nation Topics - Charles Mingus | The Nation

Freedom to do just what he pleases defines the life and writing of Geoff Dyer.

Thelonious Monk was a more nuanced figure than the flimsy characterization of a way-out jazz cat could ever convey.

On River: The Joni Letters Herbie Hancock and Joni Mitchell make a remarkable collaboration.

A new book on the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians looks at jazz as a power stronger than itself.

Elvis Costello's new album is a worthy addition to his seemingly endless catalog of beauty and bile.

Ben Ratliff's not-quite biography of John Coltrane considers the jazz legend's enduring influence.

Listening to Sonny Rollins for the first time. Again.

Nearly fifty years after Ornette Coleman revolutionized jazz, he is finally being honored with the music world's top awards.

John Gennari's Blowin' Hot and Cool looks at the intimate but fractious relationship between jazz luminaries and their critics.

Not many people can say they changed the world and make it stick. In
Myself Among Others: A Life in Music, George Wein does.