Charles Mingus - In Paris: The Complete America Session / 2CD set

 This was recorded on October 31st 1970 in a single, sleepless night, the fleeting space of a session that took place almost undetected, and in a sort of urgent calm. The scene was a deserted Decca studio on the rue Beaujon, a stone's throw from the Champs-Élyséess; the session had been set up (for the America label) at a few hours' notice by Pierre Jaubert,
the day after a concert given by the sextet at the TNP, and this particular studio date was long considered minor in the Mingus discography when compared with the masterpieces he achieved in maturity.

And yet, from both a historical and a musical standpoint, this unexpected session was anything but premeditated & undeniably stands apart in the bassist's work; originally released as two records (Pithycanthropus Erectus and Blue Bird), and here reissued for the first time in its entire, intimate dramaturgy, the recordings constitute precious and moving testimony to one of the least-documented periods of his exceptional career; with hindsight, it was a period that saw the decisive moment when, after years of doubt and silence, Mingus found a new confidence and faith in his music; it was the instant when he began his final creative resurrection.

Charles Mingus - acoustic bass
Eddie Preston - trumpet
Charles McPherson - alto saxophone
Bobby Jones - tenor saxophone
Jackie Byard - piano
Dannie Richmond - drums