Brian Hieggelke

She was on her way to a notable life of her own: Milwaukee debutante, Smith College grad, a youthful European junket that resulted in a job at the Paris bureau of the New York Herald Tribune, a role in a Robert Frank movie, and so on. She'd later publish or co-publish underground newspapers and a rock magazine called Changes. But, none of that would matter in the end, the way she tells it: for she met, fell in love, and married the great jazz composer and bass player, Charles Mingus. Subsequently, her life was redefined in the shadow of this larger-than-life man. They were an unlikely couple--he a Watts-bred musical genius known for irascibility, running in the circles of Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk, she a young woman trying to define a life in New York far removed from her well-bred WASP upbringing. In "Tonight at Noon," Sue recounts her life with Charles and its tumultuous but always interesting contours. Written in a somewhat freeform style, the work succeeds both as a fascinating look at the culture at a point in time--in addition to jazz giants, Mingus hung with the likes of Norman Mailer, Timothy Leary and Joni Mitchell--but even more as a story of love and devotion. Mingus died in his fifties of ALS, and the book recounts in great detail his struggle with the disease, especially his final gambit to pursue "witch medicine" in Mexico, where he ultimately passed away. His widow's eternal dedication continues even now, twenty-plus years after his death, as she perpetuates his legacy by producing the Charles Mingus Orchestra and the Mingus Big Band.

Mingus will discuss her book at Borders, 150 North State, April 30 at 12:30pm. Also, she'll be signing copies at the Mingus Big Band's gigs at Jazz Showcase, 59 West Grand Avenue, from April 27 to April 29.

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