Mingus Sings: The vocal music of Charles Mingus

The vocal music of Charles Mingus, virtuosic bassist, composer and 20th-century American music icon, will be presented for the first time in the Sacramento area - on Feb. 29 at the Auburn State Theatre. The band features vocalist Ellen Johnson, pianist and arranger Rick Helzer, drummer Gary Newmark, bassist John Lauffenburger and special guest saxophonist and composer Don Braden, who has toured the world leading his own ensembles and as a guest and sideman with jazz greats Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams and Roy Haynes, among many others. The concert showcases the lyrics of Mingus, Joni Mitchell, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Ellen Johnson's original lyrics and collaborations with Helzer. Johnson is well respected in the jazz community as a professional vocalist, educator and author of the biography Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan. Sue Mingus granted Johnson permission to write and record original lyrics to several Mingus compositions, including a haunting version of Peggy's Blue Skylight, Nostalgia In Times Square and NoddinYa Head Blues.