The other half of the diptych that began with the celebrated Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus (reviewed in Jazzwise 275), this is nowhere near as cohesive or uniform, but there are some marvellous moments within its three long tracks. The quartet from Presents, featuring the about-to-depart front-line of Curson and Dolphy, is retained on the 13-minute version of ‘Stormy Weather’, with Dolphy playing a blinder on ballad-style alto and Mingus taking a two-minute unaccompanied solo.

That quartet is absorbed into an octet with Ervin and Bley plus the new front-line of Hillyer and McPherson, who play the head of Parker’s ‘Relaxin’ At Camarillo’ on the frantic ‘Lock ’Em Up’; it’s Ervin who has the most urgent solo, and evokes an anguished cry from Mingus when he misses a cue.

The title of the 19-minute ‘MDM’ refers to Monk, Duke and Mingus, since he opens with themes from the two first-named heroes, as the octet becomes a tentet for an organised blowing-session on the blues. Now that both famous Candid albums have been remastered, we should lobby for a reissue of the Newport Rebels album that includes Mingus playing with Roy Eldridge, and also for the eight further tracks that remained completely unissued until the purchase of the Candid catalogue by the late Alan Bates.