Change has been a constant in the history of black music, but the time in which Charles Mingus led a sextet at Ronnie Scott’s was one of considerable turbulence. The deaths of two trumpet heroes, Louis Armstrong and Lee Morgan, symbolised a kind of fading out of the acoustic era as Weather Report sang the body electric, Miles got funky on the corner and Eddie Harris plugged in. The machines did not stop.

And where was Mingus in the midst of this? Despite all the new vogues, he was not quite as old-fashioned as you may have thought. Biographer and Jazzwise scribe Brian Priestley points out here he was actually enjoying a ‘renaissance’, by way of a Guggenheim fellowship, which gave him a financial boost, while acclaimed choreographer Alvin Ailey celebrated his music with The Mingus Dances.

All of this followed a lengthy period of depression for the bassist-bandleader so if there is a sense of refocused vitality in the performance then the important backstory partially explains why. In any case this Ronnie’s set is as extraordinarily powerful as any peak Mingus, and vindicates his steadfast faith in an unamplified sound palette and imaginative scoring that enabled him to make a big noise with a small group. Moreover, the combination of established sidemen (altoist Charles McPherson, tenorist Bobby Jones and longtime drummer Dannie Richmond) and new members of the fold (pianist John Foster, drummer Roy Brooks and 19 year-old Jon Faddis, a protégé of none other than Dizzy Gillespie) proved to be near perfect. Youth and experience and different levels of energy and virtuosity poured into songs that were borne of the leader’s razor- sharp wit as well as his ability to balance spontaneity with structure, pushing improvisers all the while keeping a grip on narrative as opposed to overly rigid harmonic framework, impishly blurring the line between straightahead and avant-garde.

On new pieces such as ‘Mind-readers’ and ‘Convention In Milano’ and the Civil rights anthem ‘Fables Of Faubus’ the ensemble positively combusted. The lengthy arrangements gave sufficient space for individual expression as well as ensemble interplay, and the results underline just how much Mingus had to offer the world of music in the latter, far less heralded stage of his life. 50 years old this concert sounds very much of today.