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This three-disc set compiles five Charles Mingus recordings from 1957-1960 that range from interesting to classic. All of these recordings have been reissued several times already -- more often than not in much better sound quality than they are here, but nowhere near as inexpensively. The reason for the price is simple: copyright law in the U.K. states that most recordings 50 years or older are in the public domain. There are no royalty payments, and given the generic packaging and dodgy sound, up-front costs are negligible for the producer -- a third-party label. As for the albums, 1957's A Modern Jazz Symposium of Music and Poetry that opens disc one is neither a symposium nor an amalgam of music and poetry. There is one long narration by Lonnie Elder that is among the finest collaborative examples of jazz and the spoken word. Filling out disc one and commencing disc two is the killer Mingus in Wonderland, which features the bassist really pushing his bandmates Booker Ervin, John Handy, and Dannie Richmond. As fine as it is, it was overshadowed upon release by Ah Um and Dynasty, which were recorded the same year for Columbia. The 1960 session Mingus Revisited was originally titled Pre-Bird because it featured compositions the bassist wrote before meeting Charlie Parker. This is a big-band set with Eric Dolphy and Marcus Belgrave in the lineup. It's interesting and well worth hearing for fans of the later work, but not essential by any means. The remainder of disc two showcases the first part of Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus. This is a stellar 1960 quartet date for Candid with Dolphy, Richmond, and trumpeter Ted Curson -- too bad it's broken up by the disc separation. Finally, from November of the same year, there is Reincarnation of a Lovebird with Dolphy, Ervin, Lonnie Hillyer, Roy Eldridge, Jimmy Knepper, Paul Bley, Tommy Flanagan, Richmond, and Jo Jones. It is not the same date as the Prestige album of the same name. While most of the music is just fantastic, given the presentation and sound, it's tough to recommend this even for the price. The stars in the rating are for the music. ~ Thom Jurek
