Biography

 Mingus Dynasty 's biography

Mingus Dinasty- whose name comes from the 1959 album made by the brilliant composer- is the first formation that Sue Mingus created to preserve her husband’s legacy, after his death in 1979. At the very beginning, the band was formed just by musicians that shared the stage with Mingus such as Dannie Richmond, Jimmy Knepper, George Adams or Don Pullen and Jaki Byard pianists, and then renowned figures such as Charlie Haden, Kenny Washington, Mike Richmond and Reggie Workman, among others.
The 7-piece Mingus Dynasty is formed by extraordinary solo artists with their own discography and an impressive reputation as session musicians.
Craig Handy played along with Elvin Jones, Betty Carter, Abdullah Ibrahim and Roy Haynes, in which quartet David Kikoski was the steady pianist during a long period of time.
Besides, Kikoski has created many solo albums and he also has reputation for having played with musicians such as Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Pat Metheny and Marcus Miller.
The trumpetist Alex Sipiagin has been member of Gil Evans and George Gruntz Orchestra, he has recorded and toured with Michael Brecker and he has been session musician of pop artists such as Eric Clapton, Aaron Neville, Elvis Costello and Phil Ramone, among others.
The tenor sax player Wayne Escoffery has reputation for having played in Abdullah Ibrahim’s sextet, Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Sextet and Tom Harrell’s quintet.
Conrad Herwig has seventeen records as a leader and more than two hundred as session musician. In 2002 the critics’ review of DownBeat magazine chose him as the best trombonist of the year. He played with figures such as Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis & Quincy Jones Orchestra, Gil Evans and Clark Terry.
Boris Kozlov performs as a musical director and arranger not only in Mingus Dinasty but also in Mingus Big Band and Orchestra. He has more than 160 records and nine of them have been nominated for Grammy awards, not only with the double- bass but also with the electric bass.
The drummer and composer Donald Edwards has his own records and he has played with figures such as Freddie Hubbard, Terence Blanchard, Wynton and Ellis Marsalis and Russell Malone. Besides, he is a recognized record producer and an expert in the rich musical tradition of New Orleans, in which university he is an outstanding professor.