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Irascible, demanding, bullying, and probably a genius, Charles Mingus cut himself a uniquely iconoclastic path through jazz in the middle of the 20th century, creating a legacy that became universally lauded only after he was no longer around to bug people. As a bassist, he knew few peers, blessed with a powerful tone and pulsating sense of rhythm, capable of elevating the instrument into the front line of a band. But had he been just a string player, few would know his name today. Rather, he was the greatest bass-playing leader/composer jazz has ever known, one who always kept his ears and fingers on the pulse, spirit, spontaneity, and ferocious expressive power of jazz.

This session represents the final studio performances by Charles Mingus. Lionel Hampton, who employed a young Mingus in his band in 1947, has gathered a sympathetic band and fashioned, along with arranger/saxophonist Paul Jeffrey, a relatively comfortable and sedate session. Hampton, who has always seemed stuck in the 1930s and 1940s, sounds surprisingly at home in this music, which points out the true character of Mingus's music: modern, progressive, and yet always thogoughly grounded in the tradition. This disc was originally issued on Who's Who. Later it came out on Gateway with one added track ("So Long Eric") which had previously appeared on the sampler collection titled Giants of Jazz - Volume 2 (Who's Who WWLP 21014). (Review by Stuart Kremsky)

1. Peggy's Blue Skylight - 5:18
2. Fables of Faubus - 6:14
3. Caroline Keikki Mingus - 6:19
4. Slop - 5:07
5. So Long Eric - 4:34
6. Farewell, Farewell - 6:00
7. Just for Laughs, Pt. 1 - 4:27
8. It Might as Well Be Spring - 5:33
9. Duke Ellington's Sound of Love - 5:56
10. Just for Laughs, Pt. 2 - 2:36