Don Pullen discusses how he started in jazz

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Don Pullen discusses his leaving North Carolina for New York

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Don Pullen discusses what he learned from his time with Charles Mingus

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Q: “What did you learn from [Charles Mingus]? He, to me, was a vast genius of this music. He brought all the roots right through the music up to – I mean, he’s almost in some ways a father of the avant garde and yet he always considered himself to be, well he’d be at home with a Duke Ellington”

A: “I think I learned probably ... I watched Mingus carefully how he took care of business. Even now, I sometimes, if I'm in a situation, I would say, "How would Mingus handle this?" He was a good businessman. You know, his ways of doing things and handling people that he had to be associated with, handling all kinds of different situations that will occur when you're on the road and so forth. I learned a lot from him in that way. Being a band leader now, I have to depend, I guess, on what I learned during my experience with him.”