Fantastic, if a bit difficult. It's always tuneful and well-played, but its construction is very abstract. It's the logical avant-garde continuation of Duke Ellington's innovations, a very tightly constructed jazz masterpiece featuring alluring horns. Andthe horns do take center stage here - of the eleven band members, seven play woodwind instruments. Written as a ballet and titled for "dancers," ("Mode A - Solo Dancer," "Mode B - Duet Solo Dancers," etc.), the relationships between the instruments become most apparent as, for example, the pianos play against the multitude of brass on "Mode B." It's a bit of a chaotic listen as trumpets clash against horns while pianos skip and hop on the outskirts. Mingus is in control, his bass thumping in the background amidst the chaos. Cue the Almost Famous quote: "incendiary."
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