Charles Mingus: Triumph of the Underdog
A thorough, poignant profile of jazz legend Charlie Mingus.
Don McGlynn's uncompromising and soulful documentary look at the tumultuous life of musician and rebel Charles Mingus is fascinating stuff. Mingus said of himself "I am half black man, half yellow man, but I claim to be a Negro. I am Charles Mingus, the famed jazz musician--but not famed enough to make a living in America." His statement summed up the conflict that plagued this musical genius his entire life: volatility, pain, prescience, and raw rage roiled inside a complex man, composer, bass player, and trombonist who transcended labels and refused to be pigeonholed into a single musical style--and who did not achieve real fame until late in his career.
Where to Watch
Availability: United States
Stream with Subscription
Streaming availability data provided by JustWatch.
Top Cast
Crew
Directors
Producers
More Like This
Western Stars
2019 · ★ 7.0
David Byrne's American Utopia
2020 · ★ 7.5
Shawn Mendes: In Wonder
2020 · ★ 8.1
Junun
2015 · ★ 7.2
OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film)
2022 · ★ 7.8
Avicii: True Stories
2017 · ★ 8.0
The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story
2019 · ★ 7.3
Reincarnated
2012 · ★ 6.1
Live Aid
1985 · ★ 7.8
Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2
2020 · ★ 7.5
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
2022 · ★ 8.4
Hired Gun
2017 · ★ 7.1
Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.
2018 · ★ 7.5
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten
2007 · ★ 7.3
I Called Him Morgan
2016 · ★ 7.0
The Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert
2022 · ★ 8.0
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger
2026 · ★ 7.0
Tupac: Resurrection
2003 · ★ 7.9
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)
2026 · ★ 8.4
Lemmy
2010 · ★ 7.6
More from This Director
More Featuring Charles Mingus
All Night Long
1962 · ★ 6.8
Mingus: Charlie Mingus 1968
1968 · ★ 7.2
Jazz Legends: Charles Mingus & Eric Dolphy - 1964
2022
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
1964
Billie
2020 · ★ 6.9
Mingus in Greenwich Village
2005 · ★ 5.5
Charles Mingus: Live at Montreux 1975
1975 · ★ 4.2
Charles Mingus Quintet - Live in Berlin 1972
2008
Jazz Club 2
2022
Charles Mingus: Epitaph
1990
Jazz Icons: Charles Mingus Live in '64
2007
Charles Mingus Sextet
1964 · ★ 7.0
Last Date
1991 · ★ 10.0