In a similar vein as his 1999 release
Green Chimneys: The Music of Thelonious Monk, guitarist
Summers now offers tribute to jazz pioneer
Charles Mingus. The collection is a little cobbled together, with an ill-conceived rap from
Q-Tip over "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" and a sparse, unfunky reading of "Cumbia Jazz Fusion," but the former Policeman's bright guitar work works hard at tying it all together. Making more admirable guest spots are
Randy Brecker bringing his crossover jazz trumpet to "Boogie Stop Shuffle,"
Deborah Harry singing on "Weird Nightmare," and the genre-bending
Kronos Quartet performing a string arrangement of the final track "Myself." While at times overproduced and slick,
Summers must be commended for approaching
Mingus' daunting music head on and adapting it as his own. [Rare's 2007 reissue included three bonus tracks.] ~ Zac Johnson