Mingus Mood
Sumi Tonooka Trio
Jazz Bridge Neighborhood Concert Series
Cheltenham, PA
October 24, 2019

Sumi Tonooka – piano
Richard Hill – bass
Nazir Ebo – drums

I wrote this piece for a scene in a movie, an independent documentary called Crosstown, by Miriam Camitta. It was about a neighborhood struggle to keep South Street in Philadelphia from being torn down to make way for an expressway. The film depicted a people’s fight to save their homes and community. They persevered and won! This has now become the Vine Street Expressway. The music for the scene portrayed a neglected street. I called it Mingus Mood because it reminded me of one of my favorite Mingus compositions, Good Bye Pork Pie Hat. One never knows when and how our influences show up!