AMG Review of Mingus in Europe, Vol. 2

Stuart Kremsky
All Music Guide

The second release from the Wuppertal, Germany concert of Mingus's Spring 1964 tour of Europe, this is by far the most intensely documented period of his career. Of all the releases from this tour, only these two volumes on Enja and the Paris concert issued on Prestige are legitimate issues. The sound is decent enough, considering the state of the art in 1964. The band played only a small number of different tunes in this period; this disc features a unique duo version (Byard and Mingus) of Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady."