Mingus was doing amazingly well, artistically. The innovative ideas coming out of his Jazz Composers' Workshop were shaking up the mainstream establishment, and his recent work with Dizzy, Bird, Bud Powell, Miles Davis and many other "names" had helped establish him as a star in his own right.

But in early 1953, the Debut record company he'd started the year before was still struggling, financially. Although the prospect of a regular gig with Ellington might have been at odds with his musical objectives, the paychecks it would bring must have looked pretty appealing.

Charles knew what a drag it could be to play double-bass on a big band. His experiences with Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, et al. through the 1940s were still fresh in his mind.

But somehow, he convinced Ellington that he had more to offer than just a solid bottom line. As they worked together through the early months of 1953, the Duke began to feature Mingus' bass as a "voice," giving it nearly as much room as the horn soloists, and his own piano parts.

It changed, it is said, the Ellington sound forever.

A reference to a collection of airshots called "Duke Ellington and His Orchestra" is found among the rare Mingus recordings listed on a Website devoted to him; apparently it was at the WMGM studios in NYC in early 1953 while Mingus, taking time off from his duties with the Billy Taylor Trio, sat in for the Duke's regular bassist, Wendell Marshall.

We cannot confirm the existence of that recording, but it's known that Mingus toured for a while with the Ellingtonians, playing the Apollo and other major venues, before finally going back to his beloved Workshop.

In "Beneath the Underdog," Charles' fascinating if often-inaccurate autobiography, he repeatedly scoffs at the importance of money. Keep that in mind as you listen to the 1962 album he and the Duke recorded the next, and last time they met.

It was called, of course, Money Jungle. — By Malcolm B. Davis