Mingus, Dolphy, and the Power of the Written Word (+ Bonus)

(Paying subscribers can see the entire exchange between Mingus and Dolphy below, plus the music performed before and after, for a total clip of 6 minutes.)

In the 1991 documentary about Eric Dolphy, entitled Last Date, you can see him performing in various European films and TV programs. A key moment in the documentary is this clip from a Charles Mingus TV appearance in Stockholm, Sweden, with Dolphy, on April 13, 1964. Dolphy had just given his notice to Mingus, and explained that he wanted to stay in Europe when their tour ended, in order to do his own projects around Europe. Mingus was unhappy about losing his star soloist, and that is understandable. But Mingus was the the only person who would confront someone about it in the middle of a televised performance! Here is the beginning of that exchange, as presented in the Dolphy documentary. (Before Mingus speaks, another band member says “Like I always say, you know?”) This was made in The Netherlands, so it is presented with English subtitles:

The subtitle says “Eric, I’m gonna miss you, asshole.” This is a key moment in the documentary, and it was widely accepted as a fact. For example, here is one of many writings that refers to the moment when Mingus called Dolphy an “asshole.”

But, unfortunately, the documentary filmmakers have completely misunderstood what Mingus said. Mingus never said that. The subtitle is wrong!

In my experience, when this is shown with subtitles, the written word takes precedence and people “hear” what they read on the screen. So please, watch the scene as it was originally broadcast, without subtitles. And just listen, with an open mind:

Yes, you heard it correctly. What Mingus actually said was “I’m gonna miss your ass over here.” BIG difference. In the subtitled version, he appears to be calling Dolphy a rude name. But in reality, he’s expressing how much he loves Dolphy, and that he will miss him.

I’m sure that many of you heard it correctly the first time, and noticed that the subtitle was incorrect. But, as I said, my experience is that when there are subtitles, many people believe them. Be careful! Incorrect subtitles are very common, especially today when even American shows have optional English subtitles. Please listen critically and compare what the titles say to what you hear. For example, the subtitles in the Wayne Shorter documentary Zero Gravity are a true disaster and should be redone.

There is much more to the exchange between Mingus and Dolphy, but my intention here is to analyze the key moment above, not to discuss the entire scene. The film itself has been available, and as you know, my goal in this series is to focus on things that are not generally known or that have been misunderstood—such as, in this case, what Mingus said to Dolphy.

After the excerpt above, in a very tense moment that I did not include, Mingus pressures Dolphy to commit to how long he plans to stay in Europe. All in front of the cameras! (Paying subscribers can see the entire exchange below, plus the music performed before and after, for a total of 6 minutes.)

The complete TV broadcast, with the exchange, is on DVD, along with two other TV programs from that 1964 tour. And the full Dolphy documentary is here, as well as available on DVD with extra features.

Sadly, as you probably know, Dolphy’s decision proved to be fatal. He died in Berlin on June 29, 1964, just two-and-a-half months after the Stockholm telecast.

All the best,
Lewis