It’s 1957, and Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus defies a presidential order and blocks the integration of the Little Rock school district. Bassist Charles Mingus, an outspoken civil rights advocate, immediately writes one of the greatest jazz protest songs of all time.
“Fables of Faubus” was intended for his 1959 landmark album, “Mingus Ah Um.” Columbia Records, however, refused to allow the caustic vocal version to be included. Record execs were keenly aware of the dangerous volatility in American society and worried about putting a match to a powder keg. The full version, with lyrics, was finally recorded in 1960 for “Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus.”
As one music reviewer wrote, “the fact that the song caused such controversy shows what turbulent times these were and what touchy issues race relations were.” Other critics proclaimed “Fables of Faubus” as Charles Mingus’s defining contribution to the Civil Rights Movement, and the perfect jazz protest song. It is part lampoon of Orval Faubus as a fool, as Mingus calls him, and part a dissonant, sometimes atonal, reflection of the times and growing cultural tensions in America.
Podcast (soundtrack): Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Listen to this week’s playlist on 
A professional musician from the age of 16, Kirsten Edkins is a performer, bandleader, teacher, studio musician and accomplished recording artist. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, Edkins has been a glowing fixture of the Los Angeles music scene for the past decade-and-a-half. She’s been a member of several Grammy Award-winning bands including the Bill Holman Big Band, the John Daversa Band, John Beasley’s MONK’estra and the late composer Johnny Mandel’s band. “Shapes and Sounds’ is the second album as a leader for the saxophonist and composer, bringing to life a diverse collection of primarily original music.
Jazz Corner of the World with host Craig Kessler
Jazz Night in America with host Christian McBride
