Mo' Mingus

"You will find it is better to want than to have. It is not logical, but it is often true." - Mr. Spock

I always say that I'll buy every recording I can get my hands on by the '64 Mingus touring band that included Eric Dolphy and Jaki Byard. While my preferred listening medium remains vinyl, this is one example of an instance where the real good stuff is only available on CD. Universal's 2003 reish of The Great Concert of Charles Mingus, which restored the version of "So Long Eric" from the 4.19.1964 Paris concert that was replaced on the original 3LP by the previous night's (on which it was erroneously  listed as "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat") is only available on shiny sliver disc, as is Blue Note's Cornell 1964.

Now sterling reissue label Mosaic is releasing a 7CD box of Mingus performances from '64 and '65, including four discs by that band. About two discs' worth of the material are previously unreleased: five pieces from the famous 4.4.1964 concert at NYC's Town Hall (including a 19-minute "Peggy's Blue Skylight"), two from the abbreviated '65 Monterey Jazz Festival set (which also includes a previously-released 18-minute "So Long Eric"), and six from a '65 Minneapolis concert. The set is filled out with the 4.10.1964 Amsterdam concert (already available on a bootleg 2CD) and the officially released '64 Monterey appearance that included an expanded ensemble on a 25-minute "Meditations on Integration."

Difficulty: It retails for $119. Wha-wha.