Songs That Make Books Better

“Sue’s Changes” — Charles Mingus (goes well with both Mingus’ autobiography and his wife’s memoir)

I guess I just keep finding ways to include Mingus in lists like these. But this tune is really a nice one, just because, after his death, his wife Sue ended up writing a beautiful book about their life together. And, while he was still alive, this tune was Mingus’ ode to her (among a couple of others). It’s funny, because Mingus wrote music that sometimes feels just a little bit out of phase from what you would expect. This one doesn’t always sound like a tune written to a lover, but it just depends on how you’re hearing it — what angle you’re coming from. Same thing goes with the books, I think…you can approach them, and his personality, from a number of different ways, depending on how you hear the music. In the end, it’s just passionate — and, no matter how much of an ass he might’ve been, I have a feeling Mingus didn’t tell too many lies.