Bassist Charles Mingus was considered an awkward genius during his lifetime. No one doubted his skill on the bass or his even greater genius as an arranger, but his talent for picking fights not only with his bandmates but also with the audience at live concerts kept many people at arm’s length. When all the conditions finally met his expectations, as with this 1963 recording, the results were truly fantastic.
The album essentially consists of variations on his own and others’ works and could therefore be considered boring and bland were it not for Mingus’s genius as an arranger, which transformed the new interpretations into independent works that went far beyond the originals. The band was not only well-staffed, but also quite large:
Charles Mingus – Bass, Piano, Vocals
Jay Berliner – Guitar
Don Butterfield – Trombone, Tuba
Jaki Byard – Piano
Eric Dolphy – Flute, Alto Saxophone
Rolf Ericson – Trumpet
Booker Ervin – Tenor Saxophone
Dick Hafer – Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Tenor Saxophone
Quentin Jackson – Trombone
Charlie Mariano – Alto Saxophone
Walter Perkins – Drums
Eddie Preston – Trumpet
Jerome Richardson – Flute, Baritone Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone
Dannie Richmond – Drums
Richard Gene Williams – Trumpet
Britt Woodman – Trombone
