The music of Charles Mingus is rightfully held in high regard by the jazz community of listeners and performers, but full appreciation requires attention and focus. Four albums in and I still can't fully wrap my brains around even his more accessible albums. This one marked the end of a particularly fruitful period in Mingus's career and one can hear contributions (some more explicit than others) from prior albums like Mingus Ah Um and The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. It's not as complicated as the latter, but more ornate than the former, and usually falls just short of those two if one is forced to rank their preferences.
This is actually a fairly recent acquisition for me, so I'm still absorbing it. However, having spent time with some of his earlier albums, I can safely say it is relatively accessible, but I cannot recommend it as background music (perish the thought!).
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