This double LP reissues two albums titled
Town Hall Concert and
My Favorite Quintet. The earlier set features what was arguably
Charles Mingus's finest group, his sextet with
Eric Dolphy, tenor-saxophonist
Clifford Jordan, trumpeter
Johnny Coles, pianist
Jaki Byard and drummer
Dannie Richmond. Heard shortly before leaving for their famous European tour (during which they were fortunately extensively recorded), the all-star group plays long involved versions of "So Long Eric" and "Meditations on Integration." The latter half of this set has a more conventional rendition of "So Long Eric," a ballad medley and an attempt at humor on "Cocktails for Two" as played by
Mingus,
Byard,
Richmond, altoist
Chartles McPherson and trumpeter
Lonnie Hillyer. Overall this is a worthwhile and quite enjoyable two-fer although not quite at the level of
Mingus's greatest work.